Ascension
by XAgent-Venom666X
Summary: The time of Gods has long since past, and the mortals of Remnant have forged their own path in their absence. But true legends are never lost to the flow of time. Especially not the legend of the mortal who became a God and slayed his kin, his legacy passing through the generations to the present where his last living descendant has begun his own path to becoming a warrior.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: After going through the content, and making a few repairs here and there. 'Ascension' is ready to be posted back where it belongs.**

 **I do apologize for taking this story down, but I needed to overlook things and rework it a bit on my own time. The pairing I had planned out for this story, I can guarantee is still very much the same. And since this is a God of War crossover fic, expect there to be nudity, lemons, and a good deal of savagery and gore in the near future.**

 **If you're an old fan, you'll hopefully be happy to see this back. If you're new, than get ready for a hell of a ride!**

 **(I don't own God of War or RWBY)**

 _ **"The measure of a man, is what he does with power." - Plato**_

 **X**

 **LONG AGO, BEFORE HUMANITY, BEFORE THE FAUNUS, BEFORE DUST, REMNANT WAS A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD. FILLED WITH MYTHS AND LEGENDS BEYOND TIME ITSELF.**

 **AND AMONG THEM, ONE ROSE TO CLAIM HIS PLACE. A MORTAL, BURDENED BY A DARK PAST , EARNING THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED A GOD.**

 **HOWEVER, HE WAS FOREVER HAUNTED BY VISIONS OF HIS FAMILY, A FAMILY HE HIMSELF HAD MURDERED. BETRAYED BY HIS FELLOW GODS AND CAST INTO THE ABYSS, HIS RAGE DROVE HIM ON A JOURNEY OF VENGEANCE.**

 **THE HANDS OF DEATH COULD NOT CONTAIN HIM.**

 **THE SISTERS OF FATE COULD NOT CONTROL HIM.**

 **AND EVEN THE GODS THEMSELVES FELL BEFORE HIS WRATH.**

 **AS THE WORLD TREMBLED FROM THE CHAOS HE HAD UNLEASHED UPON IT, WITH THE LAST OF HIS STRENGTH, HE BROUGHT AN END TO THE DAMAGE HIS WAR AGAINST THE GODS HAD CAUSED.**

 **AND IN DOING SO, BROUGHT HOPE TO THE WORLD. BUT WITH IT, HE HAD ALSO BROUGHT THE CREATION OF THE CREATURES OF DARKNESS...THE GRIMM.**

 **SINCE THAT DAY, THE WORLD HAD GREATLY CHANGED. THE PEOPLE OF REMNANT REBUILT THEIR CIVILIZATIONS AND FORGED THEIR OWN HISTORY.**

 **NONE OF THOSE THAT LIVED IN THE CENTURIES THAT FOLLOWED AWARE OF WHAT HAD ALTERED THE VERY FACE OF THEIR WORLD TO WHAT IT IS TODAY. THE EXISTENCE OF THE LONE MORTAL, WHO DEFIED GODS AND FATE ITSELF, FADING AWAY WITH THE SANDS OF TIME.**

 **BUT LEGENDS ARE NEVER TRULY FORGOTTEN. THEIR GREATNESS STRIVING THROUGH EVEN THE STRONGEST EBB AND FLOW OF THE UNIVERSE.**

 **AND THE LEGEND OF THIS MAN STILL EXISTS TO THIS DAY. HIS LEGACY LIVING ON IN THE NEW GENERATION OF WARRIORS THAT FIGHT THE DARKNESS PLAGUING THEIR WORLD.**

 **THIS IS THE STORY OF ONE SUCH WARRIORS, ONE WHO HOLDS THE POWER OF THE GREATEST SOUL HIS WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN. THIS IS THE STORY OF THE LAST LIVING DECSENDENT OF THE GOD SLAYER, THE GHOST OF SPARTA...**

 **KRATOS.**

 **X**

The sun had just risen, the early rays reflecting on the patches of snow that settled on the ground and the tree branches above. The sounds of various forms or wildlife could be heard as they awoke to greet the new day.

Boots softly crunching along the ground could be heard in the nearly silent forest, a lone figure could be seen moving through the trees, hunched low to keep as quiet as possible. Dressed in a pair of torn black cargo pants and a black long-sleeved shirt beneath a tattered brown cloak, the hood pulled up over his head.

A large satchel was slung around his shoulders, on his back was a quiver of arrows situated beside a long handled battle-axe that had a blue glowing crystal in the center of the blade. The weapon having several deep scratches and marks from constant use over many years.

Breathing in the cool and crisp morning air and releasing it out in a white mist, he adjusted the grip he had on the bow in his hands. An arrow knocked and ready as he knelt down and checked the ground, a fresh set of hoof tracks clearly visible with the snow covering the ground.

Standing, he followed the tracks as they went across a small creak and toward a clearing. Keeping hidden within the treeline, he peered out to see the deer he'd been tracking for the last hour standing out in the open.

The animal scuffing at the ground with one of its front hooves before lowering its head and eating some of the grass it had uncovered. Unaware of the hunter that was silently watching it.

His quarry in sight, he raised his bow, using the tree beside him to brace against and help steady his aim. Pulling the arrow back, the hunter took a handful of deep breaths to calm his mind and prepare to take the shot.

The snapping of a dried branch behind him perked his ears up, the sound of claws scraping across the ground and the low pitch growl of whatever was moving drawing steadily closer to where he was standing.

Exhaling his last breath...he quickly dropped to the ground, spun on his heel and lept backwards, the arrow he had drawn firing straight at the creature that charged after him and hitting his target.

A Beowolf crashed to the ground, arrow sticking from its right eye socket, and laid motionless from the kill shot. The hunter glared at the downed Grimm, hearing the sound of the deer running off into the forest behind him while several more Beowolves stalked out into the clearing. Five total, their maws filled with glistening fangs as they closed in on their target.

Surveying his opposition, the hunter remained calm. Drawing a new arrow and knocking it while waiting for the Grimm to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long as the one closest to him lunged, red eyes blazing, claws extended and teeth wide.

But he was quicker, snapping his bow up and firing the arrow straight into its neck and dropping it. The rest of the Grimm went on the attack, intending on ripping the hunter to pieces.

Ducking under a claw that would have removed his head from his shoulders, he swung his bow and knocked one of the Beowolves aside. Jumping straight up, he kicked another in a different direction giving him time to sling the bow over his shoulder and drew his axe. The dust crystal infused into the blade flaring to life and causing bright-blue veins to spread along the dense metal.

When the next Grimm came at him, he greeted it with a hard, upward swing. The blade slicing into the beast's lower jaw, nearly taking it off and stunning the Beowolf.

Kicking the creature off the axe, he swung again, this time slamming the weapon into the Grimm's bone-mask and nearly splitting its skull in half. The hunter planted his foot on the Beowolf's neck and yanked the axe free in time to block the claw strike of another, slashing left, then right, tearing large gashes in the beast's chest and splashing black ichor across the ground.

With a hard lunge, he slammed his shoulder into the Beowolf's middle and knocked it down onto its back, leaving it vulnerable. A swift swing of his axe ended the creature quickly, leaving only two remaining.

Shaking the blackish blood from his weapon, he turned and prepared for another round. The last two Beowolves snarled and started stalking around the hunter in a wide circle. He watched them, his thoughts calculating as he prepared for their next move, grip tight on his axe.

The creatures made two revolutions around him before coming to a stop, their claws kicking up snow and dirt as they charged.

Waiting for just the right moment, the hunter spun around and threw his axe. The blade impaling the first Beowolf in the chest, the dust crystal flashing brightly as ice began to spread across the Grimm's body from the inside out.

In a matter of seconds the creature collapsed like dead-weight, its now frozen form shattering like glass when it hit the ground.

With one target down, the hunter felt the remaining Beowolf baring down on him and reacted quickly. Dropping to a crouch, he snapped his elbow back and slammed it into the Grimm's muzzle, making it recoil as he spun around to face it.

Leaning left to avoid the claws of its left arm, he grabbed the extended limb and flipped up and around onto the beast's back. Using the bone-spikes for leverage, he held on as the Beowolf attempted to shake him off. Gripping tight, he snapped his right hand out and focused his aura.

His axe, which was still embedded in the frozen torso of the last Grimm it had killed, shuttered before snapping free and flying into the hunter's waiting hand. Armed again, he slammed the weapon into the back of the Beowolf's neck several times, each strike driving the blade deeper into the beast's body.

Ichor splashed across his form, the hunter took the axe's handle and forced it against the Beowolf's throat. Already weak from the damage already wrought, it was too weak to properly defend itself as the hunter used his strength to wrench its head back and twist hard to the right.

A loud snap echoed and the creature went still, falling face first to the dirt with its head at an odd angle. The hunter rose back to his feet and stepped off the already dissolving corpse, the other vanquished Grimm having become nothing more than a grey mist that faded into the air.

Returning the axe to its place on his back, he looked off to where the deer he had been tracking disappeared and sighed. The chances of him managing to track it again was slim, and all the combat would have scared it off quite a ways by now.

However, the day was still early. And there was a chance he could catch something else and get home before it got too late.

He turned and prepared to head farther North-

Something slammed into his chest, sending him skidding across the ground and forcing him to slam a hand down to keep himself upright. The sudden burst of movement causing his hood to be blown off, revealing a young face no older than 18 with short-cut black hair, a pair of wolf ears peaking off the top of his head, and the beginnings of a goatee growing on the end of his angular jaw. A jagged scar running down the right side of his face over one of his dark-hazel eyes that both glared at his attacker.

The first Beowolf he'd shot with an arrow stood there, the bolt still lodged firmly in its neck as it growled ferally at him. Rising up on its hind legs and slashing with both claws in wide arcs, the hunter ducking and rolling backwards out of the Grimm's reach, coming back up with his bow in hand and a fresh arrow drawn from his quiver.

The Beowolf roared, giving him all the opening he needed before firing, the creature's echoing call immediately cut off when the arrow pierced the back of its mouth and coming out the back of its neck. The head of the bolt shined red, revealing it to be carved from a dust crystal, before exploding in a blast of fire. Blowing the Grimm's head apart and swallowing the remains in flames.

With the final threat nothing more than cooling ashes, the hunter slung his bow over his shoulder and made his way back toward the forest. Pulling the hood of his cloak back up and over his head as he disappeared into the trees.

 **X**

Unknown to the hunter, another cloaked man had been watching through a pair of binoculars. Tracking the young man's movements carefully while talking on his scroll.

"It's definitely him, you sure about this? If this kid's anything like his parents were, I'm pretty sure things around Beacon will get more than a bit hectic."

 _"Yes. Trying to locate him all this time was difficult, and we cannot let this opportunity pass."_ replied the one on the other end. _"And you know as well as I do that it was his parents, and the skills they taught him, being the reason why we have been searching for him. And with what we are facing on the horizon, we need someone like him."_

Qrow Branwen sighed as he saw the young man he'd been tracking slip out of sight. "You better be right about this, Oz." he said before ending the call, putting both his scroll and the binoculars into his cloak before following the young hunter at a safe distance.

 **X**

In his office at Beacon Academy in Vale, Professor Ozpin shut down his own scroll and leaned back in his chair. Hands steepled together as he thought about his next move regarding what he hoped to be another very talented initiate to his school.

"I take it Qrow has found him?" his trusted associate and friend Glynda Goodwitch said as she approached the headmaster.

Ozpin nodded, "After so many years. He's been living in the Northern forests near Atlas, very remote and isolated. Not surprising considering how he was raised and trained."

The blonde huntress pulled up her scroll and looked at the data displayed before her, "What are our chances of actually getting him to come to Beacon? It won't be the same as Miss. Rose's recruitment."

"Perhaps not," replied the headmaster, grabbing his cane and standing up. "But it will require an equally personal and subtle approach." Turning his attention to the holo-screen of his desk computer, he regarded the image of the one Qrow was tracking, the name 'Soterios' displayed beneath it.

"He has the heart of a true warrior, one that I believe will aid us in time of great need when it arises." Ozpin said cryptically as he headed toward the elevator, Glynda on his heels as they rode the lift to the ground level of the school and headed out to the sky-dock where a bullhead craft was waiting for them.

 **X**

Soterios, known to a rare few simply as Rios, trekked up the small winding path the same way he had done for years, the sun had reached its apex high in the sky making the air warmer than it had been that morning.

Across his shoulders was a line of rope that had a couple of rabbits and raccoons tied to it. He may not have gotten the deer he had set out to hunt, but there was more than enough game to hunt in these woods if you were patient and skilled enough to get them.

Continuing along the dirt path that led up a small incline to the top of hill, Rios found himself in front of a small house set against the side of a large boulder.

The wooden boards that made up the walls were slightly warped and worn from years of resisting the elements, a couple of the windows had cracks in the glass but remained in tact, the slanted roof had several shingles missing and the stone chimney looked to have collapsed long ago and was only half the height it should have been.

It was a rough built structure, and had seen a lot of wear and tear, but it stood strong and unyielding no matter what was thrown at it. It was home.

Adjusting the soon to be food on his shoulders, he opened the door and stepped inside. The door opening up to a large living room with several couches and chairs set up around a fireplace set up against the wall. On the other side of the room were two open doorways, one leading to the kitchen toward back while the other led down a small hallway where two bedrooms and a bathroom was set up.

Unlike the outside, the interior of the house was warm and lived in, almost inviting.

Taking off his bow, quiver and axe, Rios hung them up on the pegs on the wall beside the door and putting his cloak on a hook as well. The young hunter standing there in his ripped pants and tight thermal long-sleeve that clearly showed the hard muscles of his upper half, formed after years of rigorous training and exercise.

Closing the door behind him, he carried his catches toward the kitchen where he prepared to cut and clean each animal like he had done countless times before.

Hunting for food was one of the things to expect being so isolated. The nearest town was over 30 miles away to the south, and the kingdom of Atlas was even farther away than that. But Rios had been born and raised in these woods, learning everything he needed to about surviving out here from his parents growing up.

He would occasionally head to town if he needed anything specific, he'd even gone to Atlas once or twice when he needed dust or medical supplies, but everything else was provided by nature.

Even though he lived off the land, Rios knew more than enough about the world. Keeping up with the news from time to time about what was happening across Remnant and current events from the four kingdoms. He also tuned into the happenings regarding Faunus.

Being a wolf-faunus himself, like his father was, he knew the strife his people had endured. Even though he held no ill will against Humanity as a whole, he never stood for prejudice without a fight. Whether it was from Humans or Faunus didn't matter to him, it was useless to hate one another when there were worse things in their world out to get them all.

Spending a good hour skinning and cleaning he animals he caught, Rios washed his hands and the knives he had used before fishing a bottle of water out of the fridge and taking several large gulps from it. Looking out a nearby window and seeing that it was still in the early afternoon, he figured that he'd gather firewood for the evening before cooking a quick lunch.

Finishing the water, he set the bottle on the counter and prepared to head to his bedroom to change into a fresh pair of clothes when his wolf-ears perked up.

The sound of footsteps could be heard approaching his front door. Three separate pairs, meaning that three individuals were outside.

It had been almost two years since anyone other than him had come up this way.

Eyes narrowing, Rios crossed the room in three quick strides toward the front of the house just as a knock was heard. Picking up his axe from the wall, he held it out of sight as he opened the door just enough to peer out to see who it was.

He was greeted with the sight of two men and a woman on the other side. The one in the lead looked to be the oldest with silver/grey hair wearing an all black suit and vest with a green scarf around his neck. A pair of small, circular glasses resting just below a set of intellectual eyes while his left hand rested on a cane with a clock-work trigger handle.

The woman was light-blonde and also wearing glasses covering green eyes. Dressed in a long black skirt and a white blouse with a black/purple cape flowing behind her. Her expression was calm, but stern, which also reflected in how she gripped the odd riding crop in her hand.

The last of the group looked to be younger than the first two. Black hair slicked back into spikes with a pair of red eyes. His stature was laid back, but to Rios' trained eyes he could see someone with a lot of skill hiding beneath the surface. It also showed in how the man was currently resting his hand on the handle of a sword/scythe weapon resting on his lower back beneath the tattered white cloak he wore over his outfit.

"Something I can help you with?" Rios asked, his voice rough, but calm as his eyes flicked from each individual before resting on the man at the head of the group.

"Are you Soterios?" the grey haired man questioned.

Grip on the axe handle tightening, the young hunter kept his expression passive. "That would depend on who's asking."

The red-eyed man chuckled as he pulled out a small flask and took a pull from it, "Just some folks who want to know your name, kid." he said casually, "And you might want to put the axe down before you hurt yourself."

Rios' attention snapped to him, "And you may not want to drink so much when you're tracking someone upwind. I believe you can understand why that someone would be overly cautious when approached." this surprised the two standing in the back while the man leading them simply raised an eyebrow.

"I apologize for making you feel the need to be on guard, but I can assure you that we mean you no harm. We only wish to talk." said the man while adjusting his glasses.

Looking for any form of deceit and finding none, Rios stepped back letting the door to open wide enough to allow them entry. Slipping the axe back in its place on the wall as he led them to the living room, taking a spot in an armchair while his 'guests' took up the couch. The red-eyed huntsman seated on an arm with his flask still in hand.

"Do you know who I am?" the older man asked.

"You're Ozpin, professor and headmaster of Beacon Academy in the kingdom of Vale, if I'm not mistaken." replied Rios.

Ozpin nodded, "Indeed I am. The woman beside me is my deputy headmistress, and associate, Glynda Goodwitch. And this is Qrow Branwen, a huntsman and a good friend of ours." he said introducing those with him.

"As interesting as it is to meet all of you, I have a feeling that this isn't a simple house call." said Rios pointedly. "No one comes this far North just to say hello, nor do they have a huntsmen track that person. So forgive me for sounding rude, but why the hell are you here?"

Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat, "We've been looking for you for some time. Both your parents attended Beacon Academy when they were your age before setting off into the world. We came to offer you a place in the same school they attended."

The young hunter turned his head and looked at a photograph in a frame on a nearby shelf. One that showed a blue eyed man with black hair and wolf-ears standing beside a pretty blonde woman with hazel eyes. Between the two of them stood a little boy that looked like his father but had his mother's eyes.

"Then you wasted a trip." said Rios, standing up and heading for the kitchen, "What reason would I need to join a combat school when I already have the abilities to fight?"

"Because It was your folks' intention to have you become a student when you came of age." said Qrow, causing the teen to pause in the doorway with his back to the room. The huntsman took a pull from his flask before capping it and putting it away, "I knew them back when we all went to Beacon together. Hell, they were good friends with me and my team. They were good people."

Rios turned and narrowed his eyes at the man, "Then you know how they died." he spoke with such a cold tone that the temperature in the room seemed to drop with each word.

Qrow nodded seriously, "I do. I also know that any White Fang that have ventured this far have never been heard from again. Folks from the town a ways from here claim that some kind of vengeful ghost haunts these forests..."

All eyes were on the young hunter who remained silent. Ozpin stood from his place on the couch, his cane before him with both hands resting on it. "I can see so much of your parents in you, and from what Qrow has told me your skills may even surpass theirs. Talent such as yours would be beneficial to Remnant as a whole. And I promised your mother long ago that I would ensure that her only son not only got the education he rightfully needed, but also that he was ready to face the world that awaited him."

Turning to face the headmaster fully, Rios locked gazes with him and tried to figure him out. He masked his emotions well, too well, but everything he spoke rang with truth which surprised him on a small level.

"What do you get out of all this, Professor Ozpin? What's your stake in me going to Beacon compared to countless other students?" he asked after a moment or two.

The headmaster's lips curled into a half-smile, "It's not what I gain, but what you gain, Soterios. I see the potential of a strong warrior and hero in you. Destined to do great things one day. But the decision is ultimately yours, I am only here to offer you a chance to hone your skills and show you the paths you can take."

Ozpin reached into his coat and produced a scroll that he sat on the coffee table in the middle of the room. "The new semester starts at the beginning of next month, should you choose to attend my school, all of the information you will need is here." he said before making his way to the door, Glynda behind him. Qrow, however, lagged behind.

"Oz is right about the resemblance," he said standing from his seat, "You look a lot like your dad when he was your age, and you fight just as hard as he did. You also got your mom's eyes, she could put a shot through a small Nevermore a mile away with that bow of hers. You got the best of both of them, kid."

Rios said nothing, hearing the huntsman's words but keeping his focus on the photo of him and his parents again. Qrow sighed, "I ain't gonna twist your arm or nothing about going to Beacon. That's your choice. But I will say this; Your folks were good people, and I was happy to have known them. From what I've seen and learned, they'd be damn proud of you, and I know that they would want the best for you."

The huntsman gave a nod in the teen's direction before leaving the home as well, leaving Rios alone with his thoughts.

 **X**

"Do you think that he will decide to attend?" asked Glynda when they were a ways away from the home an making their way to the clearing where their bullhead was waiting for them.

Ozpin hummed, "Hard to say. I do not blame him for being skeptical from our arrival and invitation, but I believe that he will make the right choice in the end."

"All I can say is that you better be right about this, Oz." said Qrow while taking out his flask again and draining the remaining contents. "The kid's been through a lot, and living out here on his own for so long has him set in his ways."

Professor Goodwitch sent him a sympathetic look, "You worry about him."

The huntsman grunted, "Yeah, what kind of godfather would I be if I wasn't worried about him?"

Stepping into the clearing where the bullhead was warmed up and ready to take to the air, Ozpin paused and looked back into the forest. He may not have known what decision the young man would make, but deep down he had a feeling that Rios would choose the path that would not only benefit him, but also the state of peace that was at risk in their world.

 **X**

Hours had slipped by, the sun had long since set but Rios had yet to notice as he sat in the living room of his home staring at the small flames licking the walls of his fireplace. The picture of him and his parents laying on the coffee table beside the scroll given to him by Ozpin.

He was at an impasse. As much as he wanted to simply ignore the invitation that had been given to him, something deep within made him pause. His thoughts now going back and forth on what his decision should be.

Remembering the stories both his mom and dad used to tell him about their time at Beacon when they were starting out as a huntsman and huntress in training. Their team, their friends, the teachers, even how they met and fell in love.

When he was little he loved to hear about those times in his parents' lives...but now they were bitter memories that reminded him of how they had been taken from him six years ago.

The mere thought of it caused his jaw and fists to clench and his eyes to harden in their gaze. Qrow spoke about the White Fang disappearing up here and the rumors of a vengeful spirit, he was partially right.

There was no ghost, but there was a vengeful orphan out for the blood of the ones that destroyed his family.

 _Screams, gunshots and blood spraying through the air flashed through his thoughts._

 _A younger version of himself on his knees, tears streaming from his eyes mixing with blood splattered on his face while he sat in a large pool of dark-crimson where two bodies laid unmoving nearby._

 _Men in Grimm masks standing over them, laughing at the death they wrought, causing a burning rage to blaze to life within the boy's soul. A scream of fury pulling from his young lungs as he charged the men with his father's axe in hand._

Rios stood up fast, the couch flipping over as his form literally vibrated form the rage within him. A dark-orange colored aura flaring around his body in-tuned with his emotions before he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his fury and aura diminishing bit by bit until it settled back where it belonged.

Even after all these years, he had to work hard to keep his semblance under control. It was a specific one that was passed down through the bloodline from his father's side, every male possessed a rage that could be used like an ultimate weapon on the battlefield. In fact, his great-grandfather ended several great battles with such an ability long ago.

Even Rios' father was renowned and feared for his fury. It was why he was known as the 'Blood Wolf'. The only one who wasn't scared of him was his mother, who saw the gentle soul he was beneath his strength.

Of course, a Human/Faunus relationship wasn't really excepted everywhere, and the two of them were scorned by those that were outside their small group of friends. It was hard on them, but their thrived perfectly fine regardless and made a life for themselves...until the night they were killed in front of their own son.

Running a hand through his hair, Rios flipped the couch back upright before sitting back down again. Going back to thinking about what he should do, he reached into his shirt and pulled out a pendant on a gold chain.

The charm was round, no bigger than a quarter and was shaped like a shield. A handful of unknown markings surrounded an omega symbol made from a ruby that was set into the metal. It was his mother's, given to her by his father when they first got together.

The heirloom had been in his family for centuries, its origins lost long ago but held great meaning. Passed down from each generation as a symbol for what their family stood for and their strength. It was one of only a handful of cherished possessions Rios had that meant the most to him.

Clutching the pendant in his hand, pressing his fist to his forehead, the young hunter mulled over what he should do. What was the best choice? And what his parents would have told them if they were with him now?

He knew that his mother would want him to go, to learn more about the world and expand his mind. His father would have also wanted him to go, to improve his skills and learn more that could prove useful. Both of them had always wanted the best for him, and if Ozpin knew them and was tasked with ensuring he had a place at the same academy they went too...then it was obvious they were continuing to put his best interests forward.

Even when they weren't there anymore.

Leaning back against the couch and sighing deeply, Rios let his mind finally settle on his choice before sitting back up and reaching for the scroll. Dialing the only number displayed in the contacts lists and waited for the line to be picked up.

 _"Hello, Soterios. Is there something I can help you with?"_ Ozpin's voice floated calmly through the speaker.

"I've made my decision, professor..." the young hunter said back.

 **X**

In another plain of existence, somewhere between life and death, a female entity suddenly became aware of a shift in the strings of fate.

 **"After so many millennia...the time has finally come."**

 **X**

 **A/N: Not much has changed since the first time I posted this, aside from my OC's name changing and the combining of chapters 1 and 2. But believe me, I intend on coming through on what I've promised thus far. I'll have another update ready in the next couple of days, if I've got your attention let me know and I'll keep this train rolling.**

 **Soterios =** **Savior**


	2. Chapter 2

Half a mile from his home, Rios stood in the middle of a small clearing deep within the snow covered forest. His old tattered cloak billowing in the cold wind as he looked down at the large, flat stone that stood from the ground with writing carved into the smooth surface.

 _ **Vance & Willow **_

_**Loving Parents and Loyal Hunters**_

 _ **"In the Darkness, the fires of Hope will set us free."**_

Kneeling over the grave, Rios removed the axe and bow from his back and laid them across one another over the ground below the headstone. "I'm sorry it's been as long as it has." he said quietly. "There has been a lot on my mind for the last couple of days, but I believe you already know all about that."

The young hunter smiled softly a moment before becoming serious again, "I've decided to go to Beacon. I know deep down that would be what you wanted for me. Though I can't guarantee that it'll change my mind about the whole experience being a waste of time, given everything you both taught me about how to survive in the world."

A small gust of wind picked up, oddly warmer than what it should have been as it caressed his face and gently flowed past his wolf-ears. Rios smiled again, "I'll do you both proud." he vowed, reaching out and laying his hand on the grave stone. Keeping it there for a couple of moments before picking up the weapons and standing.

"I don't know when I will return. But I hope that you will be there with me on this journey." Rios looked down at the weapons in his hands. Leviathan, his father's axe. And Artemis, his mother's bow.

"...I know you will be." said the young hunter as he slipped the weapons onto his back. Sending one final look as his parents' grave before turning and heading back toward home.

After the call he had made to Ozpin, Rios had gathered together everything he had needed for not only the journey to Vale, but also for the time he would be spending at the academy he would soon become a part of.

Entering the house, he approached the couch where a large rucksack was already packed and waiting. Picking it up and throwing it over his shoulder, the young hunter gave his home one last look before heading back outside, locking the door behind him before going down the long trail that led through the forest.

Making sure his belongings were secure to his back, Rios gathered his aura to his legs and shot off into the trees. Infusing the energy into his muscles granting him speed that surpassed an average person. The snow covered landscape blurring past him as he headed in the direction of the nearest village.

He had a long trip ahead of him.

 **X**

 _A bloody and chaotic battle waged in all directions. Men in ancient armor were locked in fierce combat against a massive army of barbarians, the armored warriors outnumbered by the thousands as they were mercilessly slaughtered._

 _Despite how hard they fought back, the smaller army was overwhelmed by the sheer number and ferocity of their enemies._

 _In the very center of the carnage, the Commander of the armored soldiers was locked in his own battle against the hulking chieftain of the barbarians. The bigger man wielding a massive warhammer and making it harder for the other man to land an effective hit against his opponent._

 _"Is the best the 'Great Sparta' has to offer?" the chieftain goaded as he swung his hammer down hard. The weapon impacting the ground just after the Commander had managed to roll out of harms way._

 _"You and your savages will regret this day!" the smaller man bellowed back, bringing his sword to bare and charging his enemy with a fierce battle-cry._

 _The chieftain grinned ferally, a wide swipe of his warhammer landed hard against the Commander, sending him spinning in the air and landing in a heap on the ground. His sword fly from his hand and was lost somewhere on the battlefield._

 _Coughing up blood, the Commander looked at the carnage around him. His army was all but decimated, a few brave souls still fought, most gravely injured but refusing to back down even in the face of death._

 _But as damning as it was to accept...the battle was all but lost to them this day._

 _A deep, rumbling laugh drew his attention back to the chieftain. Looking up at the larger man from his back as he loomed over him. "It is over." he said grinning in victory, "Our next conquest...will be Sparta itself! Be thankful that you won't get to see your cherished home burn to the ground!" he raised the warhammer in high in the air, intending on dealing the final blow to the young Commander of the Spartans._

 _His death all but certain, the bald, red marked warrior gritted his teeth, defiant to the end...but then he saw it._

 _In the sky above, the clouds swirled and pulsed with a power that was none of this world. Then he felt it, a powerful presence that many great warriors had only prayed to feel while in the heat of battle._

 _HE was watching from his throne up on Olympus...it was his only chance for victory, for survival. The Commander didn't hesitate;_

 _"ARES!" he bellowed, hand raised to the heavens, "DESTROY MY ENEMIES! AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!"_

 _The skies opened up, a massive vortex was revealed that shined brighter than the sun itself. All the fighting came to a stop, both armies staring up at the heavens at the spectical as a towering, all powerful being began to descend upon them..._

 **X**

Rios blinked his eyes open, the remnants of the dream he'd been having slowly drifting to the back of his mind as he rejoined the waking world.

He'd been having dreams similar to that one for the last couple of months. Each one about the same bald, tribal marked man that fought with a ferocity and strength greater than any huntsman. Each one becoming more vivid than the last as he seemed to see the man's life from his perspective.

There was no explanation for the appearance of the dreams...but each one left him confused and a bit drained by the end.

Yawning, he sat up in his seat aboard the large transport ship that was currently heading to Vale. The wolf-Faunus had spent the last four traveling. Arriving at the small town in the valley where he lived, he got land transport to Atlas where he booked passage to the next kingdom via dust plane.

Showing the customs officials the credentials Ozpin had given him, he had no trouble in his journey, though he still got odd looks given his rough and rugged appearance that apparently didn't 'fit in' in Atlas.

Torn un-kept clothing was looked upon with contempt by those from a 'higher-class', even more so given that he was a Faunus. But Rios merely ignored them and their shallow ways and let his mind wander as he boarded the plane and got plenty of rest from his journey so far.

Looking across from him, Rios saw a little boy with brown hair looking back at him with curiosity and awe. Giving a gentle smile in return, he waved at the boy who waved back grinning widely. The boy's mother saw the interaction and pulled her child's attention away, "Don't interact with _it_ sweetie." she said before sending a harsh glare at the wolf-Faunus and moving herself and the boy to another place to be seated.

The hunter watched them go, keeping his frustration of the woman's prejudice in check and took a breath to calm himself. Even after all the years since the last war, the Faunus were still looked upon as second-rate compared to others.

Although not everyone was that way, there were many Humans who treated Faunus with equality. But there were still a great deal who looked upon them with hate, fear or indifference, many businesses openly refusing to serve them or give them jobs simply because they were different.

And things weren't getting any better thanks to the White Fang and their terrorist-like attacks. Making all Faunus look like the monsters everyone believed them to be. Forcing some of them to hide their animal features so that they had a chance to fit in with the rest of the world.

Rios, however, wasn't one of those Faunus. He grew up proud of his heritage and was always told to never be ashamed of who he was.

 _"Attention passengers. We will be arriving in Vale shortly, please gather your luggage and prepare to disembark."_ the PA system chimed with a female voice. All of the passengers gathered their things and waited for the ship to touch down.

The wolf-Faunus pulled out his rucksack from the compartment beneath his seat, making sure that everything was in place while he waited for the ship to touch down.

It would be a couple more weeks before the start of the new semester at Beacon, and Rios had already decided to familiarize himself with Vale during that time before starting at the academy. There wasn't much point in being in a new place if you didn't know the lay of the land. And according to the information Ozpin had sent him after accepting the invitation, all new students coming from other kingdoms were put up in a couple of hotels around Vale until the start of the new year, so he didn't have to worry about a place to stay thankfully.

However, it was strange to have such things already prepared for him, having been used to foraging for himself for so long. But if there was one thing Rios could be sure of it was how to adapt...though that didn't make it any less odd given his upbringing.

Several minutes later, the transport vessel touched down on the sky-port on the far edge of Vale, the passengers beginning to disembark down the ramps that extended. Rios was the last one off, his large bag slung over his shoulder as he took in the new sights and sounds around him.

Vale was a bit different compared to Atlas. The Northern kingdom looked more advanced given that it was home to not only the biggest militant army on Remnant, but also the Schnee Dust Company headquarters as well.

Vale, however, looked to be more like an average city, calm yet busy at the same time. Not nearly as crowded with people and had a more average feel to it. It wasn't a bad change.

Wolf-ears twitching frequently, the hunter took out the scroll that had been given to him and checked the directions to where he would be staying. Closing the device down, he started making his way in the right direction.

 **X**

On the other side of the sky-port, another ship was letting off passengers that had been traveling from Mistral. One of said passengers was a young woman with bright-green eyes, long flowing red hair tied into a ponytail and a very athletic figure.

She smiled kindly at a few flight attendants, a duffel bag in each hand and dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a red hoodie as she disembarked.

Pyrrha Nikos was known throughout Remnant as one of the youngest and most talented up and coming huntresses. Being the top of her class at Sanctum, she had also won four tournaments with her impressive skills, making her a celebrity in her home kingdom. It was all of this together that all but ensured her acceptence into Beacon academy.

However, there was more of a personal reason for wanting to attend combat school in another kingdom.

Given her fame, it was very hard for her to make connections with other people. Either she would be approached for the sake of either getting an autograph and being used for her status, or she was avoided given her level of strength and skill which was considered intimidating by many.

Because of all of this, Pyrrha didn't have many friends, if any at all. And she didn't enjoy any of it.

She enjoyed training, and always had the dream of being a huntress for the sake of making the world a better place. But she didn't think that would entail all of the attention that was thrust upon her, being given names like 'The Warrior Goddess' or 'The Invincible Girl', the latter of the two her least favorite.

There was even a time when she was a model for a breakfast cereal, though the cereal itself was overly sweet and didn't taste too good in her opinion. It was another reason why she wanted to search for education elsewhere.

So when she was given the opportunity to attend a different school in a different kingdom, she saw a chance to make connections with people she couldn't back in Mistral.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting the hold she had on her luggage, Pyrrha headed into the city toward the direction of the hotel where she would be staying unti the start of the new school year.

She'd been to Vale a couple of times, one of the tournaments that she had one had been held here and she knew the lay of the land rather well. And since she would be here for the next four years it would work to her benefit if and when she needed something outside of school.

Making her way down the sidewalk among the early afternoon foot traffic, the red-headed huntress in training took in all the sights and sounds around her. A small smile lighting up her pretty face as she enjoyed the warm, sunny day.

Mistral was located in a much warmer climate, some days could get as high as 90 degrees depending on the season. So the weather here in Vale was actually rather refreshing.

Green eyes checking out the many shops and restaurants, Pyrrha rounded a corner ahead of her and failed to see the tall individual that had stopped until she walked right into him.

A soft gasp of surprise escaped her while a small grunt came from the one she bumped into. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized a moment later, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

The individual turned around and Pyrrha was met with the visage of a rather handsome young man around her age if not a year older. His outfit consisting of combat boots, a pair of torn black cargo pants and long sleeve thermal shirt beneath a ragged brown cloak.

Messy, slightly spiked black hair covered his head with a pair of black wolf-ears peaking out. A pair of light-hazel eyes met her gaze, a jagged scar running over his right one from his forehead to the center of his cheek giving off a slightly intimidating aura.

But the calm half-smile he gave back to her defused that bit.

"It's fine. Had to stop and check out some directions." he replied holding up his scroll while having a large rucksack slung over his left shoulder.

Pyrrha blinked, her face darkening a bit when she realized she'd been staring more than a bit. "Oh, uh, anything I can help with? It's the least I can do for running into you."

The wolf-Faunus shrugged and handed her his scroll, "Trying to find this place." he said showing her the map on the screen with the location he needed to go marked. The Mistral champion was surprised to see that he was heading in the same direction she was.

"You're on your way to the Vytal Peak Hotel too?" she asked looking back at him.

"Yeah, I take it your attending Beacon as well?" he asked in return and getting a nod, "Mind showing me the way? Never been to Vale before."

Pyrrha smiled, "It would be no trouble." she said as they started walking together toward their destination. "If you don't mind my asking, can I get your name?"

The Faunus held out his only free hand, "Soterios, though a select few call me Rios."

"Pyrrha Nikos, nice to meet you." she said back as they shook hands. The champion feeling the roughness of his palms which was a clear sign of how much he worked with them.

They walked a few feet before the red-head spoke again, "So, you said you've never been to Vale. Which kingdom are you from?"

"I'm not from any kingdom," replied Rios, "I live in the Frostbite forest in the Northern Frontier."

"The Northern Frontier?" wondered Pyrrha, surprised given how isolated the location was from what she knew. "I thought such a place was uninhabitable given the extreme weather conditions and Grimm presence?"

Her companion shrugged, "I've lived there most of my life. And I wouldn't call it uninhabitable, dangerous, yes, but that's only if you don't know how to survive the environment and wildlife." he replied casually.

Nodding in understanding, Pyrrha was quiet for a few moments trying to decided whether to ask more about him or continue their travels in silence. Rios saw this and decided to ask a question or two of his own.

"Which kingdom are you from?" he asked getting her to perk up a little.

"Mistral, I graduated from Sanctum a few months ago." replied the young champion. Her already peaked curiosity rising a little more when she didn't see the overly excited or hesitant reaction she usually got when she mentioned her name and where she was from.

Perhaps it was the fact that he lived in such a remote location, either way, it was nice to have a conversation with someone that didn't result in discussing her celebrity status. "Did you attend combat school before being accepted into Beacon?" she asked curiously.

Rios shook his head, "The headmaster invited me to attend himself. As for schooling, my parents trained me from when I was young. I never actually attended a combat school before."

The red-head was surprised again, to have professor Ozpin invite a student personally really means something about the level of skill the Faunus had. "That's very impressive. To have the headmaster of Beacon invite you personally, you must have really impressed him."

"...Guess so." he replied with a bit of hesitation. They arrived at the hotel a few minutes later, after getting checked in, the duo headed to where their rooms were which happened to be in on the same floor a few doors away from each other.

"Thanks again for showing me the way, I appreciate it." said Rios as he stopped by his door.

"Thank you for the company, it was nice talking to you." replied Pyrrha, biting her lip nervously before adding, "I wouldn't mind meeting up and talking a bit more. If you're okay with it that is! I mean, we are going to Beacon together and there's a chance we'll see each other a bit while we're there." The last portion of her statement being rushed giving how it sounded which had her cheeks coloring a shade lighter than her hair.

Rios gave her a half-smile and nodded, "I'd like that. Don't be a stranger, Pyrrha." he said before he opened the door to his room and stepped inside. The Mistral champion giving him one last smile of her own before heading down the hall toward her room.

Her spirits a little lighter than before as she got herself situated.

 **X**

Looking at the standard room he'd been given for the next week and a half, Rios tossed his ruck sack at the foot of the lone bed before taking a seat on it.

There wasn't a whole lot to the living space, just the bed, nightstand, a small table with a chair and a dresser with a tv on it. There was also a one person bathroom making the overall room very spartan in style, which was all perfectly fine to the Faunus.

Pulling up his bag, he opened it up and started pulling out his luggage. Laying his weapons on the table in the corner of the room and putting his clothes in the dresser. It was still early in the day, but after all of the traveling he'd done in the last week with little sleep he was feeling fatigued and decided to grab a little rest before doing much else.

After disrobing and taking a quick shower, Rios put on a fresh pair of boxers before collapsing onto the bed. His mind going over everything thus far, which included his interaction with the beautiful red-head he had met on the way there.

Normally he was a very private and closed off person, but there was something about Pyrrha and her warm and kind demeanor that drew him out a bit more than what he was used to. And it really didn't hurt to get to know someone who would be going to the same academy as he was.

Blowing out a slow breath, the wolf-Faunus closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 **X**

 _A deafening hush fell over the blood soaked battlefield as the skies above opened above them. Moments later, a massive, imposing, all powerful being stepped forth. Standing taller than any structure built by man, wearing thick armor covered in chains, his beard and shoulder length hair blazing like a deadly fire, was the god of war himself..._

 _Ares._

 _His feet touched the ground with a tremendous quake as he towered over all, his dark, piercing gaze locked onto the one who called his name and promised their very soul for his aid._

 _The Commander was on his knees, bowing before the powerful god who had heard his call. "My life, is yours, Lord Ares." he vowed as he rose up to look at his future master. "From this day forth, I shall carry your very will."_

 _Ares was emotionless a moment, before a blade-like smile spread across his face._ _ **"VERY WELL, SPARTAN."**_ _the God of War's voice boomed, raising his arms and gathering energy around himself before sending it out in a powerful shockwave._

 _All around the battlefield, barbarians started dying in quick succession. Some burning alive as they suddenly caught on fire, others grabbing their heads in agony before their skulls exploded in fountains of gore. Each enemy of the Commander dying more gruesomely than the last._

 _For the man himself, Ares turned to him when the barbarians were all but finished._ _ **"NOW, MY NEW DISCIPLE, FOR PLEDGING YOUR LOYALTY TO ME, YOU WILL BARE A WEAPON FITTING OF YOUR NEW STATUS HERE IN THE MORTAL WORLD."**_ _a portal of fire opened behind the god and several, humanoid, flying creatures came forth._

 _Echoing shrieks resonated among the creatures as they closed in on the Commander, one of them clutching two demonic, and deadly looking swords attached to chains in their sharp talons._

 _The Commander held out his arms, accepting the fate that would be bestowed upon him._

 _The chains connected to the swords glowed bright orange and came to life, like serpents, they shot from the flying creatures and straight toward him. Each one coiled around an arm, the super-heated metal hissing as the links seared into his flesh, a cry of pure agony ripped from his throat as the weapons were bound to him, and by extension binding him to his new lord and master._

 _A permanent reminder of the man's pledge to Ares...and in return; ultimate power._

 _When the chains cooled, a powerful rage burned through the Commander as he brought the blades to bare. Swinging them on their chains as he brought them together, decapitating the barbarian chieftain who had been frozen in disbelief at what had happened before him._

 _The severed head of the enemy leader flew through the air, blood spraying in a spinning arc behind it as it landed among the piles of corpses that had once been his formidable army._

 _ **"VERY GOOD, MY DISCIPLE."**_ _Ares' voice echoed through the now silent battlefield._ _ **"NOW GO FORTH, AND SPREAD MY WILL THROUGHOUT THE MORTAL WORLD. DESTROY ALL WHO OPPOSES ME."**_

 _"By your word, Lord Ares." the Commander vowed to the God of War as he stood upon the pile of bodies that had been his enemies. It was the beginning of a new era for him...and one that would cost him more than he realized..._

 **X**

Rios snapped awake with a gasp, holding his throbbing head from suddenly sitting upward when blood rushed upward too quickly.

Taking a few seconds to let the pain subside and blink away the last bit of the most recent dream experience, he got out of bed and staggered his way to the bathroom. Flicking on the light and squinting through the brightness as he went to the skin, splashing cool water on his face to help wake himself up a bit more.

Whatever these dreams were, they were becoming more and more intense, yet he still couldn't make heads or tails of them no matter how hard he tried. So all he could do was endure until he could figure it all out.

Heading back into the main room, he checked the time and saw that it was now early evening. The sun had just barely started to set with the beginning twilight painting the sky an array of bright and dark colors.

Now wide awake, the wolf-Faunus felt his stomach remind him that he hadn't eaten yet that day and decided to head out for a bite. Grabbing a clean set of clothes, he started to dress for his outing.

Completely unaware of the chain-shaped burn marks on his forearms that his aura was quickly healing.

 **X**

 **A/N: Looks like someone's reliving the past hardcore style.**

 **It's good to see a lot of you guys happy to see this back up and running again. Don't worry, it won't be going anywhere now. I got several more updates already finished and waiting to be posted, when you're ready I'll have them up for all to see and enjoy.**

 **Also, if anyone's got any ideas that they think might fit into this story feel free to PM me. I'm always happy to see what you guys would incorporate if given the chance, and I just might put it in if I am able.**

 **Till next time, read, review and kick ass guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

Vale at night was a far different contrast compared to what it was during the day. The shattered moon in the sky shining brightly down upon the city below, dust powered lamps lining the streets and allowing for better illumination for the citizens that were out and about enjoying their evening.

Rios stepped out of the small diner he found a few blocks from the hotel, a couple of medium-rare burgers filling him up well enough without bringing down the little lien he had in his pockets too much.

Running a hand through his dark hair between his wolf-ears, the Faunus started walking casually down the sidewalk in a random direction. Taking in the fresh night air as he headed farther into Vale.

Forgoing his tattered cloak, he only wore his thermal shirt and cargo pants, Leviathan strapped to his back and ready in the small chance he would need it for one reason or another. Though given the status of things around Vale that he had learned on his way down from the Northern Frontier, hardly anything really bad happened in the kingdom.

But that wasn't a reason for him to lower his guard, not by a long shot.

Hands in his pockets while he walked, Rios started thinking about what he was going to do for the next two weeks while he waited for the first day at Beacon. He could get the general layout of the city in a couple of days, though the rest of the time he would spend before going to the academy was foggy at best.

He did intend on spending a little more time talking to Pyrrha. Getting to know the Mistralian and letting her get to know him a bit had a lot of benefits for them both when the year started. At the very least they each would know a fellow classmate and ally in the future.

Time slipped by quietly, the wolf-Faunus blended in with the few people who were out and about. A couple of whom had not so subtly avoided him either because of his ears, the weapon he carried, or both. Either way, he paid little attention to them as he continued his aimless trek, turning another corner in the street when his ears twitched.

A low pitched beat, techno music most likely, thumped from somewhere close-by. At the end of the street, beneath a freeway overpass, was a building with a large neon sign that read 'Junior's' in flashing letters.

Rios stood observing the building for a moment or two, knowing right away that it was a club from the sounds emitting from within the walls alone. He'd been to a couple of them in the past on his rare trips to Atlas, they weren't usually what he would call a 'hangout' but they were known to have pretty good drinks on tap despite all of the noise, smells and flashing lights.

And at the moment, since he had a pretty decent meal, a good drink sounded like the best way to end his night out before heading back to the hotel.

With a shrug, he headed toward the front entrance, the bouncer standing guard giving him a harsh look but saying nothing as he stepped inside and into a long corridor lined with neon lights to mark the way.

When the door closed behind him, a motorcycle pulled up to the curb outside. The female driver getting off and removing their helmet to reveal a head of long, golden-blonde hair that flowed past her shoulders. Her clothes consisting of tight pair of black shorts and a yellow tank top that showed off her curvey figure beneath a small brown jacket.

A pair of lilac eyes set in a beautiful heart-shaped face flicked toward the nightclub while she set her helmet down and shook her hair out a bit. Her knee-length combat boots echoing off the asphalt as she headed toward the entrance with long, meaningful strides.

 **X**

The club looked very high-classed despite where it was located, although places like these were known to be in discreet places making them hard to find at times.

Rios looked around the wide open space before him, several dozen people dominated the middle of the dance floor while the DJ played the tunes and controlled the lights from his raised position on the other side of the room.

A handful of tables and booths were scattered along the outside of the dance floor for patrons to rest at, and a large bar was set up along the back wall across from the entrance the wolf-Faunus had just stepped through.

Wanting to avoid the mob of bodies, the Rios walked down the steps and walked along the outside of the main floor, his ears twitching a bit from the rhythmic thumping emitting from the speakers as he headed toward the bar.

His sharp eyes taking in the few people that were already there, one of them was a man in a suit minus the jacket with dark hair and a chin-strap beard sitting between two identical girls, one dressed in red, the other white.

Moving a a handful of seats down, Rios took one of the empty stools as the bartender came up to him.

"Anything I can get ya?"

"Beer, don't matter what it is as long as it's cold." replied the Faunus. The bartender nodded and reached under the counter, producing a bottle of Anima Ale and popping it open before sliding it toward the younger man.

Nodding his thanks, Rios took a sip from the beverage, relishing the cool bite that went down his throat. Keeping to himself as he sat quietly in his own space while drowning out the sights and sounds around him.

Despite the music pounding the air, he picked up the duo approaching him long before they appeared on either side of him. Looking up, the wolf-Faunus found himself flanked by the two girls he had seen near the older man when he first sat down.

"You look lonely, stranger." said the one in white, elbow on the bar with her chin in her palm, her green eyes locked on his face.

"Want some company?" asked the one in red, her position and her looks mirroring that of the other girl. Meaning that they weren't only related, but twins as well.

Flicking his gaze between the two briefly, Rios finished his beer and signaled for another one, "I'm good, thanks." he said when the bartender handed him another drink. Given what was happening, any man would love to be in the position he was, two pretty women showing him attention and wanting to be around him.

But those men didn't have the skill of seeing beneath the surface. Even though the girls looked interested in keeping him company, the look in their eyes spoke another story.

They worked for the club, and were checking what level of a threat he would pose in the off-chance he started trouble. Bodyguards or bouncers hiding in plain sight, a good tactic as long as no one figured out their role.

"You sure we can't make your night interesting?" asked the white twin, putting a hand on his arm with a slight glint in her eyes.

Taking a swig from the bottle in his hand, Rios kept his gaze forward, keeping both girls in his peripheral. "I'm not here to cause trouble for you or your boss, just enjoying a drink to tie off the evening." he said bluntly, letting them know that he knew what they were doing and his intentions in the establishment.

The expression on both girls changed into serious ones in a blink, watching him for another minute or two before glancing at one another and nodding. The unspoken message read clearly between them before they leaned off the bar and headed off to parts unknown.

Alone again, Rios went back to his drink just as someone else approached the bar beside him. "Strawberry sunrise, no ice. Oh! And one of those little umbrellas." spoke another woman's voice.

Chancing a look, the wolf-Faunus was met with the sight of a tall blonde girl around the same age as him, her outfit showing off her toned and curvy form as she leaned against the bar while addressing the bartender.

The man Rios had seen with the twins when he first arrived turned to the blonde and grunted, "Aren't you a little young to be in this club, blondie?"

A smirk spreading across her pretty face, the girl turned to him with a hand on her hip. "Aren't you a little old to have a name like 'Junior'?" she asked back.

Junior hummed lightly, "So, you know who I am. You got a name, sweetheart?"

"Yes, Junior, I have several." the blonde replied, running a hand slowly down his arm. "Only, instead of 'sweetheart'..." the hand went down his chest, "You can just call me SIR!" her hand went below his belt and Junior squealed while doubling over.

Rios paused, beer an inch from his mouth as he witnessed the blonde bombshell clench her fist around the club owner's balls in a vice grip. A little surprised that she was bold enough to do that in a very public setting.

"People say you know everything," the blonde said, her voice now deadly serious compared to her laid back demeanor before, producing a scroll with an image displayed on the screen. "Tell me where she is and I'll let you go."

Junior looked at the photo, doing his best not to move too much or risk bringing about more pain. "I-I've never seen her before, I swear!" he managed to grunt out.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked, clenching tighter and making her victim squeak.

"I swear, _sir_!"

The commotion happening at the bar ended up attracting a great deal of attention, nearly every thug on Junior's payroll came running up, surrounding the two and looking ready to protect their boss.

However, the blonde didn't look at all threatened as she smirked, "Looks like we've got an audience. This must be kinda embarrassing for you, huh? Awkward."

Despite the situation he found himself in, Junior managed to grit his teeth and glare at the one threatening him, "Listen, blondie-SIR!" he amended when she gripped him again, "If you wanna make it outta this club alive, I suggest you let me go...Now!"

Looking to think it over, the young woman released her hold on him, allowing the man to stumble away gasping. His gaze turning murderous as he pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on, doing his best to salvage what dignity he had left. "You'll pay for that." he all but growled out as he stomped farther into the club with his men in tow.

"Oh, Junior, I was just playing with you! Don't be so sensitive!" the blonde said, all but skipping after him. "Com'mon! Let's kiss and make up, okay?" the last statement made the man pause, looking at the young woman questionably while she giggled into her hand.

A moment later he seemed to agree, thinking about getting the chance to kiss a pretty girl.

From his place at the bar, Rios watched the exchange, his sharp eyes picking up the blonde girl's right arm tense as she leaned forward to kiss the club owner. And given her stance in addition, he had a pretty good idea where things were heading.

In the next split second, he wasn't disappointed when Junior was sent flying from a straight punch to the face. His body crashing through one of the glass pillars set up around the dance floor. The loud crash being enough to send all of the club patrons running for the exit while the black and red suited men converged on the woman who attacked their boss.

The blonde grinned as the bracelets she had on her wrists mecha-shifted into a pair of yellow gauntlets that went from her fists to her elbows. Swinging her right fist forward, she cocked her arm back, a component sliding back with the movement and ejecting a shell casing from the weapon.

When the thugs all reached her, she suddenly launched herself into the air, flipping around with her fist brought back, flames licking around her body as she came back down. Striking the floor with the power of a small meteor and sending all of the armed men flying backwards from the shockwave the impact created.

The speakers around the club continued to pump out a loud beat as the blonde went on the attack, flipping forward and bringing her heel down on a man's head and taking him out before spinning in every-which direction and punching out every gunman that charged her, her gauntlets firing a blast that caused additional damage to her enemies.

Leaning his back against the bar, drink in hand, Rios watched the brawl unfold. Ducking to the side when a thug was sent flying overhead and smashing into the shelves of alcohol behind the counter.

A door on the other end of the club burst open and two dozen more men came running in, weapons ranging from small firearms, to axes and swords brandished as they went to join their friends in trying to take down the blonde brawler.

Seeing the sudden rise in numbers and an unfair advantage, the wolf-Faunus finished his beer and sat the bottle down, tossing a lien card down next to it as he took Leviathan off his back and throwing it at the incoming thugs. The dust crystal in the blade flared to life as it impacted the ground in front of the group, the weapon sending out a a sheet of ice along the ground where it was sticking out.

The gunmen saw this at the last minute and couldn't stop in time as they slipped on the hazard and crashed into the tables, booths and walls around them. While they staggered back to their feet, the ice dissipated as Rios crossed the room and pulled his axe from the floor.

"You have the home field advantage, I see." he said laying the weapon on his shoulder as he looked upon his opposition. "Allow me to even the odds."

The men gritted their teeth and charged, the wolf-Faunus easily blocked a few swings from their weapons before lunging forward. Shoulder tackling one of the men and taking him down, swinging his axe in a wide arc and striking three others with the blunt side of the blade, sending flying into the wall and out of the fight.

Flipping the weapon around, Rios threw it at a larger group, the dust-enchanted axe hitting the ground among them and blasting out a wave of ice that froze the gunmen where they stood. A flick of the wrist and a pulse of aura had the axe flying back to the owner's hand in time for him to cleave a shotgun another thug was about to fire in half.

The gunman barely had a chance to gape before a heavy boot impacted his chest and sending him through an undamaged table. A spin and an uppercut had another thug sent airborne where the Faunus grabbed his foot and smashed him face-first into the floor.

A few feet away, four of the men drew their firearms and started shooting, Rios dropped low and ran left, the rounds missing him as he moved quickly. The moment they stopped firing he struck, charging the the dust crystal with his aura and slashing it through the air, a small shockwave of cold air and fist-sized ice shards launching forth and hitting all four targets taking them out.

The remaining thugs looked at the hunter with hesitation, one of them growing enough courage to brandish his sword and charge with a weak battlecry.

Rios grinned ferally as he met the charge head on. Grabbing the man's sword arm and breaking it at the elbow effortlessly, silencing his screams with a hard blow to the stomach before grabbing him by his neck and suit. The hunter lifted him off the ground and ran toward the others, using the gunman as a battering ram and plowing through his comrades before coming to an abrupt end when he implanted him in the wall.

Letting the thug drop to the floor, Rios looked at his handiwork before turning to see how the blonde woman was doing. Finding said brawler looking back at him, hands on her hips with just as many knocked out thugs surrounding her.

"Nice moves." she said, impressed at the display she had witnessed.

"Same to you." the Faunus replied just as a hail of bullets rained down from the DJ's booth. The man running it was wearing a black and red suit like everyone else with the addition of a large bear head covering his own, a machine gun in hand that rattled as he fired on the teens below.

Rios slammed his axe into the floor, slicing upward and creating a barrier of ice that absorbed the rounds fired at him while the blonde launched herself toward their attacker. Jumping and weaving around the bullets before leaping up onto the booth. Delivering several blows to the DJ, then slamming his head into the mix-board before using her gauntlets to blast him off the platform.

When the man's body hit the floor, the twin girls from before came strutting forward. "Melanie, who do these guys think they are?" asked the one in red.

"I don't know Miltia, but they need to be taught a serious lesson." answered the one in white.

The blonde jumped down from the DJ booth, her gauntlets opening and expelling spent ammo shells while she pulled out a pair of small ammo bands and reloaded them. Rios shattered the ice wall he had made, spinning his axe around his hand while holding it at the ready.

Both sides circled one another twice before lunging at each other. The brawler at Melanie, the hunter at Miltia, blows trading back and forth with the echoing ring of metal on metal filled the air as the two sides fought.

Rios brought his weapon up and deflected several strikes, the club enforcer slashing and stabbing with a pair of wrist blades the same color as her outfit. "We knew you were trouble the moment you stepped in here." she said while swiping her weapons downward.

"I wasn't the one that started fighting." he replied while avoiding the attack, "Though I'm more than willing to put an end to it." Another strike was aimed for his side, but he caught the arm before it could make contact, twisting it behind the woman's back and kicking her forward.

Miltia stumbled, but regained her footing and went after the Faunus once again. This turned out to be a mistake since he was expecting retaliation and was prepared. Dropping to the ground, he kicked the enforcer's feet out from under her, springing back to his feet and slamming his elbow into her midsection and sending her crashing to the floor.

Leviathan glowed a light blue as he brought the ice-element weapon down and froze the woman where she laid, incapacitating her.

With his opponent out of the fight, Rios looked up to see the blonde fighter trading kicks with the other twin. The two of them shuffling back and forth trying to find a weakness in the other's stance. When Melanie attempted a wide kick, it gave the blonde a perfect opening as she ducked under the attack, elbowing her opponent in the stomach and stunning her.

Grabbing the white-clad girl's arm, the brawler spun her in a wide circle around her before delivering a devastating kick to her face that sprawled her out on the dance floor out cold.

The victory was short lived, however. The lights around the club dimmed with a couple centering on a single point where Junior stepped out into the open. A rocket launcher resting on his shoulder as he glared at the two who were wrecking his club.

"You're going to pay for this." he growled, bringing his weapon to bare and letting loose a barrage of missiles at the teens.

Rios lept out of the blast zone, slashing his axe through the air and sending a wave of ice shards at the club owner who was forced to avoid it while the blonde fired her gauntlets and destroyed the rockets before they could reach their targets.

Junior charged them, weapon shifting into a large baseball bat that he used to strike the brawler and send her flying. Spinning left in time to block a swing from Rios' axe, the hunter following up with a straight punch that nailed the older man in the jaw and staggering him.

The distraction being perfect as the blonde brawler barreled into the club owner's side and delivered blow after powerful blow. Each hit doing serious damage before she planted her foot, her lilac eyes bleeding to a bright-red as she swung one more punch that shattered the man's weapon and sent him flying.

Now on the other side of the club, Junior managed to drag himself back to his feet. Broken weapon in one hand, a couple strands of golden-blonde hair clutched in the other.

Rios felt the temperature of the room start to rise quickly, turning to the brawler, he was surprised to find fire covering her from head to toe. Her hair a bright-yellow blaze with her eyes burning with uncontrollable fury as she looked upon the lost pieces of her hair.

In the next moment, she literally exploded before flying toward the man with he power of a meteor in orbit. A furious battlecry pulling from her throat as she punched Junior hard enough to shatter all the glass around them and send him blasting out of his club and into the street outside.

As the blonde lept out after him, Rios remained where he was. Wolf-ears flicking a bit as he slipped Leviathan over his shoulder onto his back. "Didn't think tonight would get this interesting." he said to himself before going out the main door, leaving the shattered club behind him as he stepped out into the cool night air to find the blonde brawler standing over the unconscious club owner.

A couple feet away stood a younger girl with a long flowing red cloak, a pair of bright silver eyes peering out beneath a head of short, red-tipped dark hair that had an aura of innocence in them.

"Yang?" the girl asked. "Is that you?"

The blonde, Yang, regarded the girl with a smile, "Oh! Hey sis!"

"What are you doing here?" the younger girl asked with her hands on her hips.

Her sister sighed. "It's a long story, Ruby." Yang looked over in time to see Rios approaching them. "Oh, hey! Sorry about all the trouble in there. I could have handled it, though."

The Faunus shrugged, "Perhaps. But I don't like seeing someone out numbered." he held his hand out to her, "We weren't introduced, Soterios. Rios for short."

"Yang Xiao Long, this is my little sister Ruby." the brawler replied shaking his hand, "So what brings you out here this time of night, handsome?" she asked with a teasing tone in her voice.

"Was just out for a stroll when I got thirsty," said Rios. "Didn't expect to get caught up in a bar brawl, but stranger things can happen I suppose." he checked the time and saw how late it was getting. "I have to get going, despite everything, it was nice to meet you, Yang. Ruby."

Giving a nod to the two girls, he began making his way back to the hotel. Hands slipping into his pockets while he reflected on the evening's events.

It didn't turn out like he had expected, but if Rios was honest, it had its good points. One of which was meeting the beautiful, strong blonde fighter who tore a club apart.

And he had to admit, if things kept going like this, then his time at Beacon would prove to be far more interesting that he first believed.

In the end, only time would tell.

 **X**

 **A/N: Looks like Rios is making an impression on several more characters on his way to Beacon, and there are still many more to come. With some of the questions being asked, I can't give any definitive answers without spoiling too much. But I will say that there will be no disappointments in the near future.**

 **I got more updates ready to go that'll be posted within the next few days. Keep the support coming folks!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Brutality...Savagery...Genocide...no word alone could describe the sheer amount of death that was witnessed._

 _The red marked warrior, Kratos, the acts he committed in the name of his master Ares were monstrous. The servant of the God of War carried out every order issued to him, becoming more beast than man...filled with only the need to slaughter all in his path._

 _No one was safe. Entire armies fell before him, and the soldiers that followed him on his never ending path of conquest doing so in in the name of Ares._

 _Those that offered any resistance of any kind...were dealt with quickly...and without mercy._

 _Kratos stood before his army, a lit torch held in his hand as he addressed the soldiers that followed his command. "They built this temple to offer prayers in the name of Athena! This entire village stands as an affront to Lord Ares! Burn this village! BURN IT TO THE GROUND!"_

 _He threw the torch upon one of the many huts that made up the settlement, his men following his example, setting the village ablaze before drawing weapons and going on the attack._

 _They were ruthless. Men, women, and children were slaughtered, their blood flowing like a river on the ground. All done in the name of Kratos, the man that was said to have become near invincible, he feared nothing._

 _But there was something about the temple within the village, something forbidden that made him pause. The rest of the settlement burning down around him as he stared at the doors before him. Every instinct within screaming at him to not cross the threshold, to never step inside._

 _"Beware, Kratos." the village Oracle said, approaching him without a hint of fear. "The dangers of the temple are greater than you know."_

 _Her warning fell on deaf ears, the servant of Ares simply brushed past her, ambition fueling his very being as he kicked the doors open with the deadly Blades of Chaos in hand. Everyone inside were met with their eternally sharp edges as he cleaved a bloody path through the once sacred ground._

 _Every soul within the temple fell before his wrath, not one left alive. But in that instant, the glory he had reveled in...turned to horror. The image of his final two victims that night, would be burned into his very soul for the rest of his days..._

 _...laying before him...were the bodies of his wife and daughter. Slaughtered by his own hands, their blood stained on his skin._

 _"M-My wife...my child..." his voice croaked when the full weight of what he had done seeped into his now cleared mind. "How? They were left in Sparta..."_

 _A nearby fire roared to life, turning his attention from the bodies of his loved ones to see the visage of his master looking back at him._ _ **"YOU ARE BECOMING ALL I KNOW YOU TO BE, KRATOS."**_ _said the God of War with praise._ _ **"NOW WITH YOUR WIFE AND CHILD DEAD, NOTHING WILL HOLD YOU BACK. YOU'LL BECOME EVEN STRONGER! YOU WILL BECOME DEATH ITSELF!"**_

 _Kratos knew then who his true enemy was. Ares, the god who had saved his life, who had now taken everything he had ever loved from him._

 _Stepping out of the burning temple, the warrior fell to his knees and screamed at the heavens. "ARES!"_

 _The village Oracle approached him again, her aging face twisted into a dark scowl as she looked upon the broken man. "From this night forward, the mark of your terrible deed will be visible to all." she hissed, waving her hand, a cluster of snow-like particles floated out of the ruined temple. "The ashes of your wife and child will remain fastened to your skin. Never to be removed."_

 _The ashes surrounded Kratos at attached to his body, his flesh changing to a near snow-white that covered him from head to toe. Now the world would know him as the beast he had become, his sins clear for all to see._

 _Kratos clenched his fists and bellowed into the night, his rage and anguish heard far and wide..._

 _The Ghost of Sparta had been born._

 **X**

Rios bolted upright, his throat raw from the amount of screaming he had done in his sleep, sweat drenching his form as he choked in ragged breaths.

The sudden dropping feeling in his stomach had him up and running into the bathroom, whatever he had eaten the night before being expelled into the toilet as he wretched for a good couple minutes.

When it was finally over, the Faunus supported himself as best he could as he clung to the bowl in front of him. His body shaking, now cold, as he tried to regain some semblance of himself.

Staggering to his feet, he flushed the toilet before pulling himself up to the sink and looking at his reflection.

He nearly shouted when he saw that his skin was pale, taking several seconds to realize that he was that way given what he had just endured. His breath coming out in shaky pants as he tried to clear his mind enough to calm down.

That dream...had been the worst of all the ones he had seen before. None of them left him feeling as thoroughly drained mentally and emotionally as this one had. The things he saw...he swore he could _feel_ what was happening.

The swords in his hands, the heat of the fires...the blood...the terrifying feeling of ash fusing to his skin...Then there was the guilt, the near blinding rage, and the soul crushing loss. Rios had never felt so much pain in so many forms all at once, and it had been just a dream!

Breathing back under control, a little color returning to his complexion as he turned on the facet and splashed cool water on his face. Taking an extra moment to rinse his mouth out and take a couple of sips to sooth his aching throat. When everything finally settled he went back into the main room and checked the time.

 _5:32 AM_. The airship heading to Beacon wouldn't be leaving for several more hours, so for now he had time to reflect on the last week and a half.

Since the first day arriving in Vale, he had done well to familiarize himself with the kingdom and any points of interest that would prove helpful in the future. If he was going to spend the next four years here at the academy, then knowing where he could get supplies and other things he would need was a definite first step.

Rios had also spent a good amount of the time getting to know Pyrrha. Going out together to check out the city and simply talking to one another. The Faunus learned that she was a four time tournament champion, and was at the top of her class at Sanctum in Mistral. His skills and prowess granting her a large reputation along with an array of nicknames that he could tell she wasn't comfortable with.

She was also the mascot for a breakfast cereal, something else that she didn't seem too keen on.

The hunter could see clearly that Pyrrha was a kind, compassionate, and gentle spirit despite her skills as a warrior. Someone who simply wanted to follow her dreams while helping as many people along the way as she could. And even though she appreciated those that held her in such a high regard, she much preferred to be seen simply as who she was, and not what she was made out to be.

Though she had nothing to worry about when it came to Rios. Given his somewhat isolated lifestyle, he was a bit out of touch with what was considered 'popular' or anything to do with fame. Sure he kept up with current events, but that was more of an important information line so he would know what was going on in the world.

Pyrrha had been surprised to learn he knew nothing about her or her fame, and that he simply saw her as someone he would soon be working with, and a possible sparring partner, while attending Beacon.

The huntress in training had blushed as bright as her hair when he admitted this to her, acting as though she had never heard it from anyone before. Since then she had been nothing but smiles whenever they would meet.

Rios had also talked a little about his time in the Northern Frontier, the simple life he lived in the snow covered forest that was his home. When asked about his family, he easily diverted the conversation in another direction, not wanting to discuss his past tragedy just yet. Though he knew Pyrrha could see through the change in conversation for what it was, she respected his unspoken wishes and didn't push the subject.

All the time that had passed had been eventful, the Faunus finding himself surprisingly enjoying it as the day to go to Beacon finally arrived.

Turning to check the clock again, Rios had found that it was now _9:12 AM_. He'd been sitting in one place thinking for nearly four hours.

Scratching his left wolf-ear absently, the Faunus stood from his bed and started to get dressed. He'd just finished slipping on his pants and boots when there was a knock at he door, figuring that it was a hotel attendant coming to let him know that check out was at 10, he headed to the door and opened it to instead find Pyrrha standing on the other side dressed in jeans and a red t-shirt.

"Good morning Ri-" she froze mid-sentence when she took in the fact that he was naked from the waist up. The muscles that were barely hidden beneath his usual long-sleeved thermal now visible for all to see which had her mind going blank and mouth going dry. Her emerald-green eyes took in the six-pack abs and the solid pectorals before her.

 _"...oh my..."_ she thought, her face turning a light shade of red as she could also make out various scars that were spread out along his torso from his various encounters with Grimm and other wildlife around his home.

Raising an eyebrow at the red-head's behavior, Rios cleared his throat making her blink and look up to meet his gaze. "Is there something you needed, Pyrrha?" he asked curiously.

Face reddening as brightly as her hair, the champion swallowed thickly before answering. "I...I was just coming to see if you were awake and wanted to know if you wanted to grab breakfast together before heading to the air-dock."

The Faunus nodded, "Sure, just give me a couple minutes to finish getting ready and I'll meet you downstairs."

Pyrrha simply nodded as the door closed, taking a couple steps back until she was pressed against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. Hand to her chest and feeling her racing heart calm back down to a calmer rhythm.

When she first met Rios, she found him to be quite attractive in a roguish kind of way. But the more they talked, and the more she got to know him, she came to realize that he was also very intelligent for someone who lived in near isolation.

He was also very knowledgeable in the ways of tracking and hunting game. She'd personally never hunted anything but Grimm, but after hearing the wolf-Faunus talk about it, she couldn't help but be a little interested in what it would be like.

Rios wasn't like other people she had met, he didn't see her for her celebrity status. If anything, he didn't even know she had one until she told him. He simply saw her for who she was, not her many titles.

It felt really nice.

Shaking her head, Pyrrha returned to her room to gather her bags before making her way to the lobby to wait for her Faunus friend to meet her there.

 **X**

A small cafe was set up about a block from the hotel, and was a place where most of the huntsmen/huntresses hopefuls frequented during their stay.

It was also the spot where Rios and Pyrrha met up whenever they decided to get together for the day. The two future students of Beacon academy sat at one of a dozen tables on the patio area outside the the main building, their luggage for their trip to the school at their feet as they ate together.

"What do you think the initiation of Beacon will entail?" asked the red-head as she drank her coffee. "I've heard their process of selecting partners and teams is quite challenging."

The wolf-Faunus shrugged while he finished his meal. "Not sure really. I did a bit of reading about the academy on my way to Vale, but nothing in regards to how groups are selected for their four year career. They must keep that information close to the chest to ensure it remains a challenge." A large yawn pulled from him, a few tendrils of exhaustion still clinging to him from the rough night he had.

Pyrrha saw this and looked concerned, "Are you alright? You look tired."

"I didn't get what you would call a good night's rest." replied Rios, "A couple nightmares, nothing serious."

"Anything you want to talk about?" asked the Mistral champion, wanting to help in anyway that she could.

Rios shook his head and yawned again, "I'm fine, Pyrrha. A little exhaustion never hurt anyone, besides, this is waking me up just fine." he said holding up his own coffee and downing the contents in two gulps. "Have you been to Beacon before?" he asked.

"Sadly, no. But I have heard a great many things about it." stated Pyrrha, "Professor Ozpin is said to be a genius, and his staff were all renounced huntsmen and huntresses. There is much we can learn from them and the experiences they've had."

The Faunus nodded in agreement, thinking about those that would soon be teaching them for the next four years. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."

Finishing their light breakfast, the duo made sure the tab was paid before making their way to the sky-dock. Finding the place filled with dozens of other students already in the process of boarding the airships that would take them to Beacon.

There was also several parents there seeing their kids off for the new semester. Rios took note of the various families around him, a dull ache in the pit of his chest seeing them interact, the happy and somewhat sad moments being shared.

It left him feeling empty inside.

A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to see Pyrrha looking at him with concern reflecting in her emerald eyes again.

Rios shook his head and shrugged her hand off, "Well, this is it." he said, not wanting to see the questioning look in her gaze.

"It would appear so." Pyrrha replied, the two of them would be on separate ships heading to the academy, but they had promised to meet up when they had arrived. "See you there?" she asked, her tone hopeful.

The Faunus smiled back at her, "Not if I see you first." the minor joke got a small laugh out of the young champion before they parted ways.

Making his way up the ramp and into the vessel he had been assigned to, Rios moved toward a less crowded part of the passenger area and took a seat, tossing his bag into the seat next to him as he got comfortable.

As the minutes ticked by, he watched a dozens more people got on board. All of them bound for Beacon, either as first year students or ones returning to continue their education. Many of them showed promise, one or two others may or may not make the cut in the end, but he supposed that would be more or less left up to whatever the headmaster had planned for them.

When everyone was on the ship, the ramp came up and the doors sealed before they rose into the air. The vessel heading toward the North where the academy was situated. Rios removed his hood, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat. The ride wouldn't take very long, half an hour tops, it gave him time to think about what he would do when they finally arrived.

"I can't believe that my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" Rios's wolf-ears perked hearing a familiar voice call out, looking toward the source and saw Yang not too far away giving her sister Ruby a strong hug.

The strength of said embrace easily figured out when the younger girl gasped out, "Please stop." prompting the blonde to release her.

"But I'm so proud of you!" Yang said, not losing a single bit of her excitement.

"Really, Sis, it was nothing." Ruby replied, trying to downplay whatever the discussion was about.

Yang rolled her eyes, "What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think your the bee's knees."

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees." her sister said back. "I got moved ahead two years...I don't want anyone to think I'm special or anything."

"I'm afraid you're already marked in the 'special' category." both girls turned and were surprised to see the wolf-Faunus sitting not too far away.

"Rios! Wasn't expecting to see you here!" Yang said grinning widely.

Rios stood and rolled his neck, "I'm as surprised as you are." he turned and smiled down at Ruby, "Congratulations. Getting into Beacon a couple years ahead is something to be proud of."

Ruby rubbed her arm and scuffed the deck with her boot, "It's...not that big of a deal." she mumbled lowly.

Raising an eyebrow at her shy demeanor, Rios put a hand on her arm making her look up at him. Her silver eyes locking with his hazel ones. "I can understand your hesitation." he said, making her eyes widen, "Going to a new place so soon and being so young. Even more so since you won't know anyone there. But you will do fine, just take it one step at a time."

The small moment was interrupted by a nearby view screen speaking up with a local news report; _**"The robbery was lead by the nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information about his whereabouts please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa."**_

Whatever else was going to be said was cut off when the screen disappeared and a holographic image of Glynda Goodwitch took its place. _**"Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."**_

When the introduction was done, the image of the professor faded away, giving everyone a good view of the academy the airship was now approaching. "Oh, wow!" Ruby said in awe as she ran up to the window and took in all the sights outside.

Yang and Rios joined her on either side, taking in what was going to be their new home for the next year.

Compared to his little home back in the North, it was far more than what he had anticipated. Memories of the stories his parents used to tell him about Beacon came back slowly, making the Faunus feel as though they were standing there with him.

 _"I won't let either of you down."_ he thought with conviction, reaching up and clenching the Omega pendant around his neck. Whatever waited for him within the castle-like walls, he would be ready to face it head on.

 **X**

 **A/N: More of Rios' bloody ancestry is discovered, and the more he learns, the more he'll understand his own path that he will be undertaking. The real question is if Beacon will be able to handle the descendant of the Ghost of Sparta?**

 **Initiation is right around the corner, and a whole lot of savagery is coming with it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Beacon academy could have passed as either a castle or a fortress given how it was built and the massive size of the campus. The many buildings topped with high spires and the endless walkways that went in and around each structure stretched in every direction.

The combat school sat upon a massive cliff face with large waterfalls that fell to the large river that led to the ocean outside of Vale. The rest of the academy was surrounded by a large forest that went on in every direction.

Given the geology of the surrounding area, the only way in or out of the campus was by airship. Making it one of the most secure places in the kingdom.

Rios thought about all this briefly as he stepped off the ramp from the craft that brought all of the students and looked out over the academy with a critical eye. It was an impressive sight, he had to admit. And given the history of this place, there was a high standard set for those hoping to attend.

Standards, that he somehow managed to either meet or bypass to gain entry.

Adjusting the bag on his shoulder, the wolf-Faunus started making his way up the path before him while other airships docked letting more students out.

A few students glanced in his direction as he passed by them, but Rios paid them no mind as he headed toward the building in the front of the campus. There wasn't much in terms of instructions, Ozpin had just told him to head to the atrium where everyone was to gather after arrival.

Yang and Ruby walked ahead of him, also taking in the many sights around them in awe.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this." said the blonde crossing her arms under her breasts.

Ruby went to comment before her attention was drawn to another student walking by, gasping loudly with stars in her eyes when she saw the weapon they were carrying. "Sis! That guy's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!" she started hovering after another student that walked by, only for her sister to drag her back by the hood of her cloak.

"Relax, Ruby. They're just weapons." Yang said with an eye roll.

The younger girl gasped indignantly, "Just weapons?! They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! They're so cool..."

"She's...really into weapons, isn't she." Rios said to Yang with a raised eyebrow.

"You have no idea." she replied before turning to her little sister, "Why don't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?"

Ruby pulled out her massive scythe and hugged it adoringly, "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose. I just like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people...only better."

"Ruby, come on." said the older girl pulling the hood of the other girl's cloak over her face. "Why don't you try make some friends of your own?"

"Why would I need friends when I have you?" Ruby asked in return after fixing her hood.

Her sister chuckled nervously as a group appeared behind her, "Actually...myfriendsareherenowcatchupwithyoulaterbye!" she said all in one breath before she and the others that were with her disappeared so fast that the younger girl spun around and became dizzy.

"Wait! Yang?! Where are you going?!" Ruby called after her as she stumbled around trying to regain her footing. Almost falling into a luggage carrier that was passing had it not been for a strong hand on her back that stopped her in time.

Shaking her head, the young teen looked up at Rios who smiled. "You alright?"

The cloaked girl nodded, "Yeah, it's just..." she trailed off as she looked to where Yang had disappeared. The wolf-Faunus saw the loneliness clearly and patted her shoulder.

"Don't feel bad, Ruby. I'm here on my own too, if that helps any." he said, getting her to smile a bit back at him.

"What are you two doing?!"

They turned their heads and regarded another girl, dressed all in white with pale skin, blue eyes and long white hair that was put up in an off-center ponytail. Everything about her looked prim and proper, someone of high-class, in fact the only flaw about here seemed to be the pink scar that stretched over her left eye.

"Do either of you know what kind of damage you could have caused if one of these broke open?" she demanded while referring to the luggage that was being pushed forward by a butler that was most likely hers.

Ruby scratches her head, "Uhh, sorry?" she said confused about the whole thing while Rios just crossed his arms and looked unimpressed.

The girl scoffed and looked her over a moment, "Aren't you a little _young_ to be attending Beacon? This isn't just sparring and practicing you know, we're here to fight monsters. So why don't you and that mongrel start watching where you're going."

"Hey! I said I was sorry for whatever it is I _almost_ did, princess!" Ruby sniped back, not liking the girl's attitude or the way she was treating Rios.

"It's heiress, actually." said another female voice, this one calm and collective as the one it belonged to approached them.

Rios turned his head and saw another young woman approaching them. Slender and moving with a calm grace wearing a black and white outfit with long black hair and amber eyes. The wolf-Faunus' nose twitched when he caught the scent of feline coming off her strongly, and his sharp eyes saw the bow on top of her head twitch ever so slightly.

She cast a glance in his direction briefly, more than likely knowing that he knew she was a fellow Faunus as she closed the book in her hands and tucked it under her arm.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." the girl in black said looking at the one in question.

Weiss preened at the introduction, "Finally, some recognition."

"The same company infamous for its controversial work forces, and questionable business partners." the ravenette continued effectively shutting her down.

The heiress glared at them with vindication before turning and stomping away.

Rios shook his head at the girl's attitude. Like most Faunus, he had issues with the Schnee Dust Corporation given what they had done to their kind. Discrimination, forced labor and countless other forms of maltreatment only being the tip of the iceberg.

Turning back, he saw the girl in black walking away while Ruby stood looking after her before slumping down on her knees. "Welcome to Beacon..." she muttered to herself lowly.

"It'll get better." the wolf-Faunus said, holding out a hand and helping her up, "Come on, let's find the main atrium where everyone's meeting up. We'll probably find your sister there."

Ruby smiled at him again as they set off down one of the many walkways around the academy. The two of them walking in relative silence while taking in the scenery.

"So...uh," the younger teen began, struggling to try and start a conversation. "Are you from Vale?"

"You're not used to meeting too many new people, are you?" asked Rios, picking up on her anxiety almost immediately. Ruby laughed nervously, her face turning pink. "And to answer your question, I'm from the Frostbite Forest in the Northern Frontier."

"Oh, that's pretty far away." replied the cloaked girl. "Me and Yang grew up on Patch, that's pretty far away from everything too...but not as cold."

The hunter nodded, "Was raised out there. Learned how to survive off the land. You have to in order to live out there."

Ruby gave another nervous laugh, "So, I have this thing;" she said taking out her prized weapon, Crescent Rose. The massive scythe unfolding from its compact form, the large blade's tip piercing into the stone walkway with a loud thud.

Rios looked the weapon over with sharp eyes, noting that it was hybridized with a high-caliber sniper rifle with the barrel being the shaft of the scythe itself with a scope and trigger mechanism attached.

"Impressive." he said, stepping closer to the black-red themed weapon. "The craftsmanship is a work of art. Well balanced. No doubt your fighting style would be based around the recoil too."

"Yup! She's my baby." Ruby beamed, stroking the weapon almost lovingly. "How about you? What about your weapons?"

The hunter reached back and pulled out Leviathan, "This is my father's axe, Leviathan. The blade was forged with the metal from the weapons of the previous generations in our family, it's a tradition that was passed down for as long as we can remember." he motioned to the ice-dust crystal embedded in the blade. "The dust doesn't need to be changed out often, it's strictly an ice element."

Putting the axe back over his shoulder, Rios brought out his bow next. "This is Artemis, my mother's bow. It may not look like anything special, but my mother made it with her own two hands from an emerald tree that grew outside her house growing up. She was a natural with it, could hit any target better than a soldier with a sniper rifle."

"They trained me in how to use them, and they left them to me when they died. It's like carrying a part of them with me." the wolf-Faunus finished, leaving the younger teen in awe.

"Wow, that's so cool." said Ruby, all the while admiring the the classic-type weapons. "They're well maintained, I bet they've seen a lot."

Rios nodded as he slung Artemis over his shoulder with Leviathan, "More than you can imagine. Come on, everyone's probably gathered in the atrium by now." they continued on their walk. The cloaked girl sending a small smile at the hunter beside her along the way.

X

The duo walked for some time, the younger teen asking Rios about himself while she talked about her time at Signal and her home on Patch with her sister and father.

Rios couldn't help but smile at the girl's energy and enthusiasm. She was a bit innocent and naive, but it seemed to add more to her overall charm. He had a feeling that she was going to go far here at Beacon, especially if she was able to get in sooner than most.

Going through a pair of large double doors while Ruby was talking about her weapon, they were greeted with the sight of dozens upon dozens of people all inside and trying to find a place close to the center stage.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" Yang called out, waving her arm from a few rows up.

"Oh!" the cloaked girl exclaimed before turning to the older boy. "It was nice meeting you, I'll see you after the ceremony, okay!" she called out before running off to meet up with her sister.

Rios blinked as she quickly vanished in a blur of rose petals, his nose twitching when the smell overpowered his senses for a moment when he heard a light chuckle behind him. "Making new friends?"

"Something like that." he replied, turning to find Pyrrha standing there. "How about you? See anyone from Mistral?"

The champion sighed, "One or two, but I don't know them all that well. The joy's of being considered 'The Invincible Girl'." she said solumnly.

"You still got me." said Rios putting a hand on her arm, "Granted you don't mind hanging around a mangy wolf who lives in the wilds." he added with a light smirk which got the red-head to laugh a bit.

"That's true, although you don't strike me as 'mangy'. More like...rough and rugged." said Pyrrha, blushing a bit when she heard herself speak before thinking.

Rios raised an eyebrow and twitched an ear, "You saying you got a thing for 'rough and rugged' types, Miss. Nikos?" he asked, grinning when he saw the girl turn several shades darker than her hair and began sputtering. "Relax, Pyrrha. I'm only joking."

The champion calmed down, doing her best to laugh it off just as the large group of huntsmen/huntress hopefuls started to quiet down when they saw Professor Ozpin stepped onto the stage. Flanked by Glynda Goodwitch as everyone in attendance sat down to hear the man speak.

"I'll keep this brief." he said into the microphone that was set up, his voice echoing all around the room. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and to acquire new skills. And when you've finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Everyone listening stood a bit straighter, but his next words stopped them cold. "But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. Wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step."

When he was finished, the headmaster stepped away from the microphone and walked off stage leaving Professor Goodwitch to speak next. "You will all gather into the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

As the students began to file out of the large room to where they would be sleeping, Rios hung back a moment and narrowed is eyes at where Ozpin had left.

Something about the man seemed, off, compared to how he was when they first met. His speech was a good one, it made the more eager students focus more on what they can get from the academy in a realistic way. But his tone felt wrong, separated from the present.

He'd have to look into it later, for now he'd focus on getting through whatever they had planned for the initiation.

After picking out one of the many lockers that were empty and syncing it to his scroll, he put all of his combat equipment and weapons inside and put a personal pass code for the lock so no one other than himself could get into it. He took his remaining luggage and went into the ballroom where everyone was picking out a spot to sleep in.

The large room had been divided. Girls on one side, boys on the other. It was cliche, but to some it was a good course of action given the number of teens there was to deal with.

Rolling his eyes as he watched a few of the guys in his age group trying to catch the attention of the girls, Rios found a spot in the far corner away from everyone that was beneath a large window and set up his sleeping area. Unfurling a bedroll he'd used from time to time for when he was out in the wilderness away from home, he removed his shirt and kicked his boots off before laying on the semi-soft surface. Hands behind his head as he stared outside at the night sky and letting his mind wander.

So much had changed in such a short period of time. But he was more than prepared for any trials and challenges that might await him. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that was the longer time went on, he would end up forging alliances with various people. Much like he had with Pyrrha

The concept was hard to grasp. Having lived alone for so long, he didn't think he'd have the social skills needed to get along with anyone. Yet he surprised himself rather well.

Noticing that many of the other students had already turned in for the night. Rios decided to get as much sleep as possible, he took a deep breath and calmed his thoughts before closing his eyes. Allowing the hands of sleep to claim him moments later.

X

 _The storm raged, lightning flashing in the dark sky as rain came down in an endless torrent. The ocean violent as the waves slammed hard against the shipwrecks that had been bound together during the maelstrom._

 _But the weather was the last thing occupying Kratos' thoughts. The Ghost of Sparta stood atop the mast of one of the shipwrecks, the Blades of Chaos clenched tightly in his hands as he sneered up at the beast that loomed over him._

 _A massive serpent that rose up from the dark waters, its head adorned with spikes and horns with scales almost as hard as steel and a pair of large fins on either sides of its head. Mist rising from its nostrils before it let loose a bellowing roar that shook the air around the warrior._

 _But he remained undeterred, standing firm even under the powerful roar. The sounds of combat echoing from below as what remained for the deck hands fought feebly against the smaller beast's smaller heads as they wreaked havoc on the survivors._

 _With a war-cry of his own, Kratos lunged. His blades swinging in wide arcs on the chains attached to them, the weapons lit ablaze as they carved deep gouges into the serpent's neck. Tearing through the hardened scales and splashing gallons of blood into the air._

 _The beast screeched, swinging its massive head around and attempting to capture the warrior in its maw. The spartan using one of his blades to grab the mast of the ship and swing out of its path, bringing its twin up and slashing along the monster's face as he came back around, driving both swords into the creature. Using his monstrous strength to smash its head against the top of the mast and splintering the wood._

 _Staggered, the beast roared before going on the attack once again. Opening its jaws wide and lashing downward. Kratos rolled backwards on the platform just as its fangs sank into it where he had been standing, his body sparking with electricity that exploded out of him in a tornado of power._

 _The volts of magical energy striking the creature and frying its skin, sending it reeling back in pain as it tried to regain its bearings._

 _But Kratos would have none of it, slashing with his blades, he struck wherever they could reach at the ends of their chains. Blood raining down around him just as quickly as the rain itself as he speared the beast again and slammed its head down on the far end of the platform, jumping to the other side where he smashed it once again against the mast._

 _The hardwood shattered under the impact, leaving behind a sharp point which gave the Ghost of Sparta a grand idea to end this conflict._

 _"Come foul beast! And meet your end!" he roared over the storm._

 _Shaking off the pain from the last attack, the monster roared as it snapped its head down. Grabbing the warrior in its terrible maw and attempted to swallow him whole._

 _Kratos planted his feet firmly on the beast's lower jaw, hands grasping the fangs above him while using all his strength to keep its mouth open. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his hands and broke the fangs he'd been holding, using the opening to leap free of the monster's mouth._

 _Unsheathing his blades, he spun around and launched one directly into the beast's left eye. When it jerked its head back in surprise and pain, he used the leverage to get high enough to land on the end of its snout. Yanking on the chain hard enough to cleave the serpent's eye in half from the socket._

 _In agony, and half blinded, the creature snapped its head forward, sending the warrior downward...but it was what he had been hoping for._

 _Kratos lashed out with both blades, spearing into the side of the monster's head. Planting his feet underneath the platform on the downswing, he gripped the chains tightly as he began to pull. The serpent's head being yanked down farther and farther as it tried to break free._

 _With one mighty pull, the beast's head came down. The sharp end of the mast going into its mouth, up through the roof of its upper jaw and out through its damaged eye. The unholy screech of agony could be heard for miles as it struggled against the makeshift pike it had been impaled by._

 _The platform collapsed, Kratos dropping down to the deck as he looked on as the serpent thrashed around hopelessly. Blood gushing like a waterfall from its maw before the head collapsed before him unmoving._

 _Glancing around him, he saw the beast's smaller heads seize before erupting in geysers of crimson. With the main head destroyed, the rest soon followed in its wake._

 _Sheathing his blades across his back, Kratos turned to leave when he heard shouting from somewhere within the serpent's open mouth._

 _Curious, he climbed up and entered its throat. Walking down the slick, slimy walls around him, he came to a stop to a long drop that he knew went to the monster's stomach. His eyes finding the ship's coward of a captain struggling to keep from falling to his demise._

 _"Please! Please help me!" he begged as he fought to keep from sliding farther down._

 _Kratos snorted, reaching down and grabbing the man by the front of his tunic and hoisting him up._

 _"Th-Thank you! Thank the gods you came back for me!"_

 _The Ghost of Sparta sneered, "I didn't come back for you." he grabbed the large key from around the man's neck and snapped it off before dropping him down the dead serpent's throat. Ignoring his cries while he fell as he made his way out of the monster and headed off to the other side of the shipwrecks where the Captain's cabin was located._

 _Unlocking and opening the door, Kratos was greeted with the sight of several undead soldiers laying waste to the innocent people that were housed within. Bringing forth his blades, he cleaved through them with brutal savagery, leaving only blood and severed body parts in his wake._

 _He had been too late. The undead army had killed everyone and left no survivors. The scene before him making the Spartan remember his greatest failure as he stood among the carnage._

 _X_

 _Sometime later, the warrior could be seen on a bed in a small vessel that headed to parts unknown. Two naked women sleeping behind him as he sat on the edge, head in his hands as he was once again plagued by the nightmares._

 _Memories of a past he hoped to escape, that would not grant him peace._

 _Growling feraly, he snapped his head back and shouted to the ceiling. "ATHENA!"_

 _Ignoring the startled screams of his bed-mates, Kratos stormed up the small stairs that led to the upper deck, slamming open the doors and stepping out into the rain and approaching a stone statue of the Goddess of Wisdom that stood at the bow that had started to glow brightly at his call._

 _"Ten years, Athena! For ten years I have faithfully served the gods! When will you releave me of these nightmares?!" the warrior demanded._

 _ **"We request one final task of you, Kratos."**_ _spoke the statue, the Goddess using it as a conduit to speak with her champion._ _ **"Your greatest challenge awaits, in Athens. Where even now, my brother Ares lays siege as we speak. Athens is on the verge of destruction, it is the will of Ares that my great city falls. Zeus has forbidden the gods from waging war on each other, that is why it must be you, Kratos. Only a mortal, trained by a god, has a chance of defeating Ares."**_

 _"And if I am able to do this, to kill a god. Then the visions, they will end?" Kratos implored._

 _ **"Complete this final task, and the past that consumes you will be forgiven."**_ _said Athena._ _ **"Have faith, Kratos. The gods do not forget those who come to their aid."**_

 _The glow faded, the statue becoming still when Athena's influence left it. With a new heading, Kratos went to the helm and steered the ship toward the ancient city._

 _Where his greatest challenge, and freedom from his growing madness awaited him._

X

Rios awoke, much more gently then he had before. But he could still feel his blood pumping strongly in his veins, like adrenaline injected directly into his heart and spreading to all corners of his body.

Once again he felt as though he were in the man's shoes. Fighting the serpent beast and the undead hordes that prowled the wrecks. The thirst for battle in the dream carrying over into reality and leaving him energized.

It felt...good. Which confused the young hunter to no end.

The sun had just started peeking over the horizon and started shining warm light through the large windows while the other occupants of the ballroom continued to slumber. According to the positioning, it was just after 6:00 in the morning. And since there wasn't any way for him to go back to sleep now he got up and cleared his sleeping area before grabbing his clothes and heading to the locker room.

Once cleaned and dressed, the wolf-Faunus ventured to the cafeteria for breakfast. Settling at a small table the farthest away from the others, he ate silently as the morning continued on. A few hours passed and the other students started to trickle in, rubbing sleep from their eyes or talking excitedly or nervously among one another while they prepared for the day to come as well.

Rios watched them out of the corner of his eye, wondering how many of them would pass by the end of initiation. Some looked promising, others not so much, though only time would tell if their skills were sharp enough to get them through the day.

Finished with his small breakfast, he stood up and left the cafeteria and headed to the locker room again to gather his gear. Finding a couple other students who were already there getting ready who looked eager for the challenge.

Among them was Ruby and Yang who were talking among themselves by their own lockers, and Weiss who was talking with Pyrrha.

Approaching his own locker, he pulled out his scroll and punching in the code he had set before swiping it over the panel causing the door to open for him. Taking out Artemis and its quiver along with Leviathan and slipping them into place before going over to the red-head.

"Morning, Pyrrha. Sleep well?" he asked garnering the attention of both girls.

"Good morning to you as well, Rios." the champion said smiling brightly. "And yes, I slept very well. And yourself?"

The wolf-Faunus shrugged, "I've slept worse. Though I'll avoid sleeping on marble floors for the foreseeable future.

"Um, excuse me." Weiss said, interrupting the conversation, "But how do _you_ know Pyrrha?" she asked pointedly.

Rios didn't miss the harsh point in how she referred to him, it was something he knew all too well. But he ignored it. "We met when we arrived in Vale at the same time. Since we were both coming here to Beacon, we decided to hang out a bit so that we each would know someone when everything started." he explained calmly.

The heiress crossed her arms, "And what would you know about her? I doubt she would waste her time with a mongrel."

Anger flashed through Rios's mind. A calming breath washed it away to avoid trouble as he spoke. "Why don't you try asking her yourself. Instead of pretending that she's not here listening to your obvious racism." he turned to Pyrrha. "Good luck out there, Pyrrha. Maybe we'll run into each other." he added before he left the locker room.

"Hmph, good riddance." Weiss said before smiling at the champion, "Now, as I was saying..." she trailed off when she saw the sharp look Pyrrha was giving her.

"I don't like it when people insult my friends." she said, picking up her spear and shield and leaving without another word. Leaving the heiress slack-jawed.

X

The first year students all gathered on the cliffs outside of the schools campus. Below them, the massive expanse of trees that made up the Emerald forest stretched out far for them showing nothing but green as far as the eye could see.

Each future huntsman/huntress were standing on small metal platforms with the symbol of Beacon on them as they regarded Professor Ozpin as he stood beside Professor Goodwitch as he started speaking to them.

"For years you have trained to become warriors. And today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald forest." he started allowing his associate to pick up the rest.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given team mates...today."

A brief pause went through the gathered students. A subtle 'What?' came from Ruby while the headmaster continued where Goodwitch had left off. "These team mates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

The red cloaked girl shrieked 'WHAT?!' even louder while several others muttered between themselves. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest." Ozpin said motioning to the massive wooded area behind him. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path...or you will die."

Rios stood firm on his platform, his mouth set into a hard line as he clenched his fists in anticipation for the coming fight.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation." the headmaster continued. "But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

No one said anything.

"Good." Ozpin said acting as though he didn't hear them. "Now, take your positions."

All the students braced themselves on their platforms as each one started ticking. The wolf-Faunus crouched slightly, taking into account the sudden thrust that would end up launching them all into the air in moments and prepared accordingly.

Beside him, the students started launching off one after another until it was his turn. Catching Ozpin glance in his direction and give him a subtle nod from the corner of his eye before he was airborne, the others shortly following as they all flew over the forest toward their mission objective.

A small grin spreading on Rios' face in preparation for the challenge he would be facing. Unaware that his very fate, and those who would side with him, was about to change in ways he would never imagine.

 **X**

 **A/N: And initiation has officially begun, and Rios is already making an impression on his fellow students. And more ancestral memories are making themselves known to him, but where all of this will lead is still unknown...but will all become clear soon.**

 **Even though I'm weighing a bit heavily on God of War 4 at the moment with only bits and pieces of the rest of the series, but all of that is going to change soon. Along with canon for RWBY turning on its head. Till next time folks!**


	6. Chapter 6

The forest surrounding Beacon was calm, the sun shining down from the blue sky above as the creatures that lived within the foliage went about their business. Completely unaware of what was about to come crashing into their midst.

Though the last thing anyone or anything would expect would be a group of teenagers flying overhead and landing among the trees after being launched from a cliff from miles away.

Each student using their own method to either try and gain more distance, or land in the Emerald forest as safely as possible.

Ruby's sister Yang seemed to have the best method of gaining more speed, using her shotgun gauntlets to launch herself even farther with each blast she fired behind her. It would get her closer to the temple where their objective was located.

As for Rios, his cloak flapped loudly behind him as he flew. Tilting his body to the side in time to avoid a tall tree, he scanned the surrounding area for a safe place to land and found a small body of water not too far from him. Snapping his arms and legs out to slow his momentum, the Faunus angled himself so that he was aimed in the right direction.

Taking out his axe, he slammed the blade into several passing trees. Each landed hit slowing his momentum as he drew closer to the pond, flaring his aura and surrounded his body with it like a shield as he tucked his arms and legs into himself seconds before he crashed into the surface. Sending water spraying in all directions as he disappeared from sight.

Everything settled in moments, leaving a still silence throughout the forest before Rios broke through the surface. Breathing in the fresh air before swimming toward the shore not too far away.

It wasn't the first time he had done something like this. And he had more than enough experience to avoid hurting himself out in the wilds. Stepping out of the pond and looked at the surrounding trees to get his bearings.

The sun was higher in the sky, meaning it was just past noon, and the cliffs where he had been launched from was to the North-East, and the temple was supposed to be farther to the North away from the academy campus.

Looking up at the sun and its position in the sky, the wolf-Faunus calculated the direction he needed to go and headed that way. Shaking a bit of water that was still on him, he removed his axe as he moved toward the trees...

Stopping when he heard growling come from where he was going in time to see an Ursa lumber out into the open. It's glowing red eyes locked onto the hunter while drawing itself up onto its hind-legs.

Clenching his weapon, Rios smirked before throwing the axe straight at the Grimm. The blade burrowing into its left shoulder making it roar in pain and fury as it dropped to all fours again and charged forward.

The Faunus snapped his hand out, the axe ripping from the monster's body and flying back to his hand, sidestepping the frontal attack and bringing the weapon downward hard. The Ursa's head coming off and flying away as the rest of the body collapsed to the ground almost instantly where it began to dissolve.

With the threat out of the way, Rios started to head out once again. All the while wondering what else would happen during the initiation.

X

Pyrrha slashed her weapon in its sword-form as she took the head off of an attacking Beowolf. Bringing her shield up in time to deflect the claws of another that attempted to attack her flank, giving her the chance to swing upward and take it's right arm off.

It had been several minutes since she had landed in the forest, and in that time she had been venturing in the direction she though the temple was roughly in. All the while searching for other initiates along the way.

So far she'd encountered no one, and when she stopped to get a sense of where she was located when the pack of Beowolves found her. Six total, but more than enough for her to warrant caution as she stood ready, shield in front of her with her sword at the ready as she started down the remaining four she had yet to slay.

The closest one roared and lunged, claws outstretched. Pyrrha ducked, avoiding the attack and swung her sword across, leaving a wide gash along the Grimm's stomach and splashing its black blood across the grass.

Coming back to her feet, she blocked a claw-strike to her back and bashed the Grimm in the face with her shield. Giving her the space to drive her sword through its chest where a heart would have been if it had one.

Yanking the blade from the now dead Beowolf, Pyrrha spun around and threw her shield like a disc. The sharp outer edge taking the head off another, leaving her with only one Grimm left standing with another laying on the ground bleeding heavily.

Narrowing her eyes, the beautiful champion prepared to finish the fight. The Grimm growled ferally and prepared to attack-

An arrow head suddenly exploded out of its left eye, its mouth hanging open mid-growl for a fleeting second before it collapsed, dead.

From the treeline behind it, Rios lowered his bow before stepping into the small clearing. "Making new friends?" he asked, using the same line she had said to him the day before.

Pyrrha smiled, "In a matter of speaking." she replied, looking toward the wounded Grimm that was still struggling, she mecha-shifted her sword into a long spear and threw it at the creature. The blade piercing through the center of its bone-mask.

The champion approached, placing her heeled boot against the monster's neck and pulling her weapon free before turning to the one who had become a good friend as of late, and now, had just become her partner at Beacon.

"I guess we're partners now." Pyrrha said smiling at Rios.

"Guess so." the Faunus said back with a small smile of his own. "We should get moving. The temple shouldn't be too far from here."

Nodding, the native of Mistral fell into step beside her new partner as they set off back into the forest.

"Have you encountered any of the other initiates?" the champion asked as they picked their way through the foliage, keeping their senses sharp encase anymore Grimm were in the area.

Rios shook his head, "I've picked up a few scents and trails in various spots, even a few signs of combat, but nothing else." his left wolf-ear twitched and he came to an immediate stop, holding up his hand, silently telling Pyrrha to do the same as he looked back where they had come.

Both his ears twitched and shifted, all his senses perking up before he slowly relaxed his stance.

"What is it?" asked the red-head.

"Thought I heard something." Rios replied before they started moving again.

Back in the clearing where the smell Beowolf pack was still dissolving, a large claw pressed into the dirt. Razor sharp ends digging into the ground while a deep, rumbling growl reverberated through the silence.

X

On the cliffs overlooking the Emerald forest, Professor Ozpin stared down at his scroll in tablet form. Monitoring the progress of the young huntresses and huntsmen that had been catapulted into the vast landscape nearly half an hour ago.

Behind him, Professor Goodwitch approached with her own scroll in hand as she came up and stood next to the headmaster. "Our last pair has been formed, sir." she said waving a couple screens aside that depicted what the cameras within the forest were broadcasting. "Nora Valkarie and Lie Ren. Poor boy, I can't possibly imagine the two of them getting along." she lamented.

She moved on to another screen showing Rios walking through the trees with Pyrrha. "It seems Soterios and Miss. Nikos will make an interesting pair. Though time will truly tell with those two." Ozpin hummed as he kept his focus on the screen before him.

Closing down her scroll Goodwitch turned and began making her way back to the school. "At their current pace, they should all reach the temple in a few minutes." She turned and regarded her boss, "Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year?" he didn't answer her which made her a bit concerned. "Professor Ozpin?"

The headmaster kept his eyes locked on his scroll, watching the progress of two students in particular as they continued on with their mission.

X

Rios stopped and knelt to the ground, finding footprints in the dirt leading in the direction they were heading.

"Trouble?" asked Pyrrha curiously.

"Footprints, two different sets." said the Faunus, touching the center of one of the prints and finding a little red mixed with the dirt. Rolling it between his finger and thumb before smelling it slowly, "Explosive dust, recently used. Roughly eight minutes old. We just missed them."

He then saw something hanging from a nearby low-branch. A thin strand of gold that reflected brightly in the sun.

Picking it up slowly, he took in the silk-like softness and caught the strong smell of lilies and citrus. _"Yang."_ he thought while looking at the strand of hair. Recognizing the scent of the buxom blonde he'd met almost instantly.

The champion looked ahead of them, "We must be heading in the right direction."

Nodding, Rios stood up. Bow in hand with a fresh arrow knocked and ready as they continued on. Coming out an opening in the trees on top of a hill that overlooked a small valley below.

And in the middle of said valley was a structure built with crumbling stones.

"That's gotta be the ruins." said Rios. "With any luck we'll find some of the others down there. We'll get our relic and..."

His left ear twitched, the sound of leaves moving and twigs breaking getting his attention as he snapped his bow up and aimed back into the forest. Eyes narrowed and sharp as he looked for any sign of movement.

"Rios?" asked Pyrrha, who also prepared herself for combat with her shield on her back and her spear in rifle-form.

The Faunus was silent, his enhanced hearing focused around them has he tried to listen for the sounds again. But nothing happened, no movement, nothing at all. But his sense of danger wasn't easily fooled.

Something was out there, watching them.

"We're not alone." he said lowly. The whisper sounding a bit too loud given that there wasn't any other noise around them. No birds, insects or small animals, as if all the wildlife was attempting to keep quiet as well.

Another sweep of the surrounding foliage, and the hunter's eyes caught movement. Bowstring drawn tight and prepared to fire as the leaves of a nearby bush rustled.

A moment later, a Boarbatusk stalked its way out into the open. Grunting like the animal it resembled as it looked at the two initiates, the Grimm scraping at the ground with its front hoof, preparing to charge as the partners readied themselves.

Just as it was about to curl in on itself and charge the duo, a massive claw came down on its back, slamming it to the ground while it squealed in alarm and pain before being suddenly silenced when it was crushed beneath the weight of the new creature.

Rios and Pyrrha looked upon the beast that revealed itself with caution and alarm respectively. It was easily three times as big as an Alpha Beowolf with the head of a goat with three very long horns sticking out of the bone mask.

Armored plates covered in spikes lined its back and ending at a long tail that slithered about, coming around to reveal that it had the head of a serpent with large fangs and piercing red eyes.

It's claws were easily a meter long with four on the front feet and looked to be sharper than most blades, capable of cleaving a man in half with one strong swipe. The hind legs were massive hooves that pressed hard into the dirt.

The creature rumbled, blowing air out its nostrils before rearing back on its hind-legs, revealing a third head just under the goat one. This head resembled a lion, a long mane of black fur surrounding its mask that was thrown back as a mouth filled with sharp teeth opened and let loose a bellowing roar that shook the whole forest.

"A Chimera." said Rios, in equal parts awe and caution while keeping his arrow locked on the beast's center of mass.

"I thought these kinds of Grimm were only supposed to be a myth?" wondered Pyrrha as the Chimera lowered back to the ground on all fours. The Goat-head snorting loudly as it clawed at the ground beneath it.

"Then I guess every myth and legend has a bit of truth in them." replied the Faunus just before the beast began charging.

The two teens lept apart as the beast barreled past them, Pyrrha bringing up her shield in time to deflect one of the Chimera's claws while Rios avoided the serpent-headed tail as it tried to strike him while firing his bow into its side, but the arrow showed no sign of fazing the Grimm as it past by and turned around to face them.

Pulling out another arrow, the hunter fired it at the goat-head only to have the serpent-head snap forward and caught it. Snapping the shaft in half with minimal effort. Pyrrha attempted to catch it's flank with her weapon now in sword-form, but the large Grimm swung its horns in her direction, forcing the champion to leap back to avoid being impaled.

The Chimera reared back on its hind-legs, its lion-head roaring as it came forward swinging both its massive claws at the two initiates. Both of them rolling in different directions to avoid being shredded.

Rios pulled out Leviathan and swung at one of the beast's hooved legs. The ice-infused axe slicing into bone-armor and managing to nick black-furred flesh. The Chimera roared, taking a swing at the wolf-Faunus who brought up his weapon and blocked the attack, the blow sending him skidding back across the dirt and stopping beside Pyrrha.

"The thing's got a strong defense." said Rios. "Hyde, armor, three heads, it's not going to go down easy."

"Perhaps we need a more conventional method in stopping it." replied the red-head, bringing her shield and sword to bare. The Chimera dropped on all fours again and prepared to charge.

Grip tightening on Leviathan, Rios threw the weapon at the large Grimm. The beast leaned to the side, avoiding the axe at it sailed past it and burrowed into a tree. The wolf-Faunus quickly drew Artemis and fired three arrows with blue-glowing heads Each one hitting different points on the creature where ice started to spread rapidly.

"Aim for the ice! Weaken its armor!" Rios called out as he ran at the Chimera, leaping onto its back while it was trying to shake off the ice spreading on its body. Holding out his hand, Leviathan yanked itself from the tree it was stuck in and slapped into his palm where he proceeded to hack and slash at its back.

Pyrrha mecha-shifted her weapon into its rifle-form and fired at the Grimm's frozen joints. Chunks of ice and bone-armor chipping off with every shot. Her green eyes saw movement toward the hunter's back and immediately called out to him.

"Behind you!"

Rios snapped his head over his shoulder and saw the Chimera's serpent-head prepared to strike. He spun around just as the reptilian limb snapped forward, mouth wide and fangs extended, only to be met with the handle of Leviathan. The hunter gritting his teeth as the mouth wrapped around his weapon tried to yank it from his grasp.

Tightening his grip on Leviathan he twisted sharply to the left, he wrapped his arm around the snake-head and held it in place against his body with all his strength. Ripping the axe from its mouth, the wolf-Faunus brought it down hard at the base of the sentient limb.

The Chimera roared, black ichor spraying out from the deep cut made into its tail. Rios struggling to keep it in his grip as he brought Leviathan down again and again until it was almost all the way through. The large Grimm bucked and shook, causing the young hunter to drop his weapon and grab its serpent-half with both hands.

Flaring his aura to enhance his strength, Rios planted his feet and pulled. The sound of flesh tearing could be heard just before the serpent-head was ripped clear from the Grimm's body.

An echoing roar filled the forest, the Chimera shot up to its hind-legs. Throwing the hunter from his back where he landed on his feet behind the beast-

Just before a large claw came back and struck him hard enough to send him through a tree and off into the forest.

"RIOS!" Pyrrha shouted after her partner. Her gaze snapping up at the Chimera who was now standing upright and leering down at her with its lion-head. Sending a nervous grin at the creature before taking off into a dead run in the same direction the wolf-Faunus, scooping his axe off the ground as she went.

 **X**

Several meters away from where all of the fighting had taken place, Rios laid slumped beneath a broken tree. Several others laying in a similar manner after he had been sent crashing through them by the Chimera.

Despite the damage his flight had caused, his aura had taken the brunt of it. But had been depleted a great deal as a means to protect him.

Groaning softly, the wolf-Faunus opened his eyes slowly and took stock of his situation. Nothing was broken, and aside from a headache he was doing okay. But that would change quick if he didn't get out of here and fast.

Rubbing his eyes, His headache suddenly became worse, making him wince as his fingers dug into the bark of the tree laying over him.

The haze left the hunter's vision, along with the headache, he put both hands on the tree pinning him down. Grunting loudly with exertion, the tree rose upward bit by bit before being tossed a couple feet away from him.

Getting back to his feet, Rios glanced around the forest, picking up his dropped bow that he was thankful wasn't damaged. But his axe was nowhere to be found.

"Must have dropped it back with the Chimera." he muttered, preparing to head back to find his dropped weapon and his partner, hoping that Pyrrha was okay.

As if his thoughts were a que, the red-headed champion came running out of the foliage. Leviathan clenched in one hand with her own weapon in the other.

"Rios!" she exclaimed, happy to see him as she handed the axe to him. "The Chimera is right behind me, we need to get moving!"

A roared shook the forest back where she had come, the Grimm in question closing fast.

"The temple isn't far. If it catches up we can fight it in the open." said the hunter as he and his partner began running toward where the relics were located. The two of them jumping over foliage and rocks while trying to maintain a steady distance from the pursuing beast.

Both partners burst from the trees and made a b-line for the temple, quickly noticing that six others were already there. Yang, Ruby, Weiss, the black-haired cat-Faunus, and two others neither of them had met yet. One being an orange-haired girl with a pink/white themed outfit wielding a large hammer and a boy with black hair with a pink stripe running through it wearing a green Chinese-style shirt.

"Rios!" Yang called out when she saw the duo running their way.

"We got company coming!" the wolf-Faunus shouted back, skidding to a stop in front of the group and spun around to face the forest just as the Chimera came barreling out of the treeline. Rearing back on its hooved feet and roaring with its lion-head before dropping down on all fours where the goat-head snorted in preparation.

"A Chimera?!" Weiss shouted in shock, "How did-"

"I got it!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed, a red blur that shot past them all and went straight toward the hybrid Grimm. Her scythe extended as she brought it down with all her strength onto the Chimera's head.

The large weapon bounced off the bone armor of the beast's goat-head, the young girl sent stumbling backwards from the rebound.

Rios grit his teeth at the girl's blatant disregard for her own life and ran forward in a dead sprint, Leviathan brandished and ready as the Chimera charged after her.

Ruby fired several shots from her weapon, the heavy sniper rounds doing little to no damage at all before she spun around and started to flee. The large Grimm quickly closing the gap between them as it picked up speed.

The cloaked girl blinked when she saw Rios running straight toward her, his axe glowing from the ice-dust embedded into the blade as he lept over her smaller frame. Bringing the weapon down hard on the Chimera's left shoulder between plates of its bone-armor, black ichor spraying into the air.

Ripping Leviathan free, the hunter slashed sideways. Cutting a deep gash into the side of its face and destroying its left eye.

Rearing back on its hind-legs, the Grimm roared from the pain inflicted on it. Bringing its claws back and swiping back and forth at the wolf-Faunus who jumped and rolled out of the beast's attack range.

The battle between the two paused when an echoing screech emitted from high above. Chancing a look to the sky, Rios spotted by far the largest Nevermore he had ever seen. The avian Grimm angling itself toward the ground on what he could recognize as an attack run...and going straight for Ruby's retreating form.

Yang called out to her sister as she started sprinting toward her just as the Nevermore hovered in the air, flapping its massive wings and sending out a barrage of hardened feathers. The projectiles spearing into the ground in a straight line, one of them pinning Ruby's cloak and stopping her cold while several others cut off Yang several meters away.

A roar from the Chimera snapped Rios' attention back around to see the Grimm drop back to the ground where it then went after the now defenseless teen.

"Shit." the hunter cursed as he ran after it, putting everything he had into his legs to cut the beast off before it could get to the cloaked girl who was desperately trying to free herself...

He wasn't going to make it in time. The Chimera would have her in pieces before he could get close enough to head it off.

Closing his eyes, Rios focused deep inside himself while he kept running. Finding that small, flickering flame deep within that was always burning and mentally latched onto it. Heat began coursing through his body, spreading through his limbs like an out of control wildfire.

On the outside, his aura was blazing with the same intensity like the feelings within his body. His hazel eyes shifting to a shining gold as his face morphed into a snarl, a deep rumbling growl vibrating deep in his chest.

His speed increased by a large margin as he closed in on the Chimera as it stopped in front of Ruby and stood with its claws raised to cut her down.

 **X**

Ruby's silver eyes widened in terror at the approaching threat before clamping them shut, covering her head in preparation for her coming death. Thinking about her family in what would have been her last moments as the razor sharp claws came down...only for a loud metallic ring to echo loudly.

Chancing a look, the cloaked girl cracked her eyes open to see a familiar wolf-Faunus standing before her, his axe in hand having deflected the Chimera's strike as it came down.

With a wide opening, the hunter swung his axe back around and carved a deep gash in the beast's stomach just below its lion-head. Sending it stumbling back.

Grip tightening on the handle of Leviathan, Rios let loose a war cry that bordered on a feral roar as he unleashed the full force of his semblance. His aura became more intense, dark orange energy flowing around him like flames before he launched forward, burrowing his axe into the gash he had just made deep enough to grant him leverage to bring himself up to grip the armor of its shoulder.

From here, he proceeded to punch the Chimera's lion-head. The force and strength behind the blows hard enough to crack its bone-armor and send out small shockwaves, the hunter's semblance granting him a great deal of strength and endurance along with speed.

The beast tried to fight back, but the strikes kept it stunned with each impact. When the white and red marked armor was damaged enough, Rios ripped his axe from the Chimera's stomach and slammed the blade into the center of the lion-head with enough force to completely and nearly bisect it in two.

Leaping off the Grimm, the wolf-Faunus landed in a crouch with his aura still blazing around him. The Chimera dropped down on all fours, the red eyes of the goat-head narrowing in rage at the one who caused it such damage and killed two of its three heads. It's oil-like blood making a pool beneath it.

Rios remained firmly where he stood waiting for the beast to make the first move. He didn't wait long as the Chimera charged, claws and hooves digging up the ground as it closed in on the young hunter.

Slipping his axe on to his back, his aura flared again as he brought up his hands and planted his feet as the large Grimm crashed into him. His boots digging small trenches in the dirt while his hands gripped the goat's horns. Rios gritted his teeth, muscles bulging as all his strength slowed them both to a stop.

A deep growl raised to another roar as the wolf-Faunus clenched the Grimm's horns before suddenly twisting to the right. Planting the beast's head into the ground, pressing his boot to its neck as he pulled even harder, a series of loud cracks could be heard just before the horns broke away.

Flipping them around so that the sharp points were aimed downward, the hunter brought them both down hard. Spearing them through the Chimera's front legs and pinning them to the ground.

Taking Leviathan off his back, Rios wasted no time in bringing it down on the currently screeching Grimm. The blade cleaving into its neck, black ichor spraying into the air as he yanked the weapon free and brought it down again, going even deeper and sending more of the beast's blood splattering on the wolf-Faunus' face.

Several more swings later the Chimera went still, its head barely attached and only hanging on by a single piece of bone-armor.

Standing over the fallen Grimm as it started to fade away, Rios breathed heavily, axe held tight in his hand with its blood dripping off the blade and down his face. His aura slowly faded as his semblance cancelled out, he closed his eyes as they changed back to their original color and took a slow, deep breath.

When he was calm again, he placed Leviathan on his back again before making his way back toward the others who all stood slack-jawed at what they had just witnessed.

Ruby snapped out of it first as he approached her. "You okay?" he asked, not at all bothered by the black blood drying on him.

The younger teen nodded, not trusting her voice as he reached out and grabbed the feather pinning her cloak and pulled it from the ground, freeing her. "What the hell were you thinking?" the hunter asked pointedly.

"I...um..." Ruby tried to answer, but couldn't come up with anything.

"You put yourself needlessly at risk. That Grimm could have killed you with little effort." Rios continued, his tone filled with disappointment and concern for the girl. "What exactly was going through your head when you ran head-on against something you weren't ready for?"

Bowing her head, Ruby bit her lip as the last few minutes came back to her.

"I...I just wanted to prove that I could do this..." she mumbled.

The wolf-Faunus knelt down to her level, gently raising her head with a finger so he could look her in the eye. "My father taught me many things when I was growing up. One of those things, was that a true warrior, comes from in here." he pointed over her heart, "Tempered by this." he then pointed to her head. "You are very skilled, Ruby. But if you want to become a good huntress you need to use your head and trust your instincts, and not act without thought or doubt. Learn from this."

Ruby blinked in surprise at the advice given before smiling at the older teen.

At that moment Yang jogged over, wrapping her sister in a tight hug in relief that she was okay. Her lilac eyes going to the ichor stained Faunus, "Thank you..." she said with a great deal of emotion in her voice.

Rios nodded to her before making his way toward the temple where his partner and the other initiates were waiting.

"That...was...AWESOME!" the orange-haired girl shouted with a million-watt smile.

"It was certainly impressive." said Pyrrha, "Albeit, a little brutal I must admit."

The hunter shrugged, "It was the fighting style I was raised with. The Grimm don't show mercy, why should we show them any?" he asked as he approached the pedestals set up around the temple, each one with a chess piece sitting on top.

A loud screech drew the attention of the initiates to the sky where the Nevermore was coming back around.

"We should go, we're sitting ducks out here in the open." said Rios as he picked up a gold-colored Rook piece for him and Pyrrha.

"He's right." said Ruby as she and her sister joined them, "We got our objective, we should head back to the cliffs. There's no reason to stick around here and fight anymore if we can avoid it."

Weiss sent a very small smile her way, "I think that's the best idea you've had all day."

The group stuck together and started moving over a nearby hill...unaware that they were being watched from the shadows.

 **X**

Deep within the heart of a dark realm, a pair of black eyes with red irises leered into an orb before them. Images of a young man with wolf ears brutally killing the powerful Grimm causing the gaze to narrow.

"That power..." a feminine voice spoke with a calm coldness that would cause many to shiver. "Could it be possible?"

A pale hand covered in black veins reached up and touched the side of the orb, a pulse of energy channeling through her palm into the orb. "Perhaps a bigger test of skill will determine if this boy is really possesses _HIS_ blood."

A blade-like smile spread across the unknown woman's face as she watched her 'children' answered her call and gathered together within the Emerald Forest.

 **X**

 **A/N: It would seem brutal combat runs in the family, even after multiple generations. And Rios has garnered attention from someone who may prove to be a threat on par with a God...or, in this case, Goddess.**

 **A lot of people have been asking about whether or not Rios is going to gain the Blades of Chaos. I'm never one to ruin a good story...however, it wouldn't be God of War without the signature blades of death. All I can say is be patient, because those particular family heirlooms will make an appearance sooner than you think.**

 **Keep the reviews and support coming folks, got another update coming soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

It was never usually within his nature to flee from a fight, but given that their enemy had the advantage it was better than simply being an easy target.

Rios kept to the front of the moving group beside Ruby with everyone else close behind. The massive Nevermore in pursuit in the air, flapping its large wings and gaining ground quickly as the initiates took cover in another cluster of ruins. The avian Grimm did a slight turn before perching itself on a large pillar in the middle of the ruins, screeching loudly while its glowing-red eyes searched for its pray.

"Well, anyone got any ideas?" Yang asked from her spot beside Ruby behind a crumbling wall.

"We need to bring it to the ground, it has the advantage in the air." said Rios, his sharp eyes looking over their environment for something that would aid them. Pyrrha doing the same on his left.

A series of loud howls could be heard from the forest they had just come from, the initiates chancing a glance in time to see a large pack of Beowolves charging out of the treeline toward them.

The wolf-Faunus grit his teeth in frustration as they found themselves surrounded on both sides. "Split up!" he shouted as the eight of them went in different directions.

"Nora! Distract the Nevermore!" the pink-streaked male, who Rios had learned was named Lie Ren, called out to the orange haired girl.

Nora's large hammer mecha-shifted into a grenade launcher as she ran out into the open. The Nevermore locked onto her an fired a barrage of feathers in her direction. The girl lept over the projectiles and landed in a roll before coming up and firing several grenades from her launcher that struck the avian Grimm and caused it to take off.

Ruby cut down a Beowolf that charged her from the side, her silver eyes seeing the others fending off the coming tide of Grimm while the Nevermore circled above them. Her mind going over a series of ideas before coming up with something that might work.

"I got an idea! Yang, Weiss, Blake with me! Rios, can you and the others keep the rest of the Grimm off our backs?!" the younger girl called out.

The hunter cleaved the head off a Beowolf with Leviathan before he answered, "We'll do what we can!" he lept up and drove his axe into the head of another Grimm while Pyrrha sped past him and stabbed another through the neck.

The four girls took off running into the ruins and toward the ravine with the Nevermore hot after them. "So what's the plan?!" asked Nora, swinging her hammer and sending a Beowolf flying.

"Hold the line!" Rios called back, throwing his axe into the pack of Grimm and taking out several as it arced back around and came back to his waiting hand.

Ren brought out a pair of bladed SMGs and fired on the pack, stopping long enough to slash the blades around and spilling black ichor with each swing.

Pyrrha used her shield to block a set of claws intending to cut her down, bringing up her other weapon in sword-form and stabbing the Beowolf up through its jaws and head.

More Grimm came pouring out of the forest, a few Boarbatusks and Ursai joining the Beowolves and making the horde more formidable.

Rios drew Artemis and started firing arrows as quickly as he could draw them. Regular arrows pierced flesh and bone-armor while those infused with dust froze, burned, shocked and blew up against their targets. Thinning them out only for more of the creatures of darkness to take their place.

The wolf-Faunus brought out Leviathan again and took the arm off an Ursa. He saw Ren get tossed backwards when a Boarbatusk rammed into him, Nora called after him before mecha-shifting her hammer to its grenade launcher-form and blasting the boar-Grimm away.

"More keep coming!" said Pyrrha, smashing her shield into the face of a Beowolf.

"Fall back! Stay together!" Rios called out, the four of them sticking close together. Roughly a meter apart from each other but remaining in a line as they fended off the attacking Grimm. Blades, bullets and arrows cutting into their ranks.

Reaching back to get another arrow from his quiver, the hunter discovered that his supply was dwindling and their enemies numbers kept going up. _"There's no end to them."_ he thought, looking over the hoard of dark beasts that continued to pour out of the forest. Sweat dripped down his forehead, muscles clenched as he swung his weapon into each Grimm that came within range.

The others were in the same boat, exhaustion starting to settle in and aura dropping with each hit the creatures managed to get through their defenses. If this kept up much longer, they might not make it back to the academy.

Rios cut down another Beowolf, he quickly glanced around for anything that could give them some kind of advantage. His eyes locked onto a crumbling pillar not too far from them.

Idea quickly forming, the wolf-Faunus cut down another Grimm before running toward the pillar. "Where's he going?!" Nora asked, smashing another enemy in the head.

"He must have something up his sleeve, have faith in him!" Pyrrha answered back.

Clipping Leviathan onto his back, Rios stopped between the pillar he had spotted and a chunk of wall that was still in tact. After surveying everything quickly, he pressed his back against the wall before bracing his feet against the pillar itself, taking a deep breath before pushing with all his strength.

At first nothing happened, but then the stone began to crack and groan as his legs continued to extend to their full length. A deep growl pulling itself from his clenched teeth, his muscles beginning to ache as the pillar began to tilt in the opposite direction.

Relaxing for a brief second, Rios shoved with everything he had. The base of the column crunched and shattered as it leaned too far and began to fall over. "INCOMING!" he shouted as loud as he could in warning to the others.

Pyrrha, Ren and Nora looked up, their eyes widening when they saw what was coming and quickly jumped back out of the way. The Grimm weren't as lucky as the pillar crashed down on top of them, a series of pain filled roars and screeches echoed as they were crushed beneath the falling stone.

When the dust settled moments later, all that remained of the attacking horde were the smoke-like ashes of their fading forms vanishing into the air.

The four initiates regrouped, all of them fatigued from the constant fighting but still prepared to fight on as they searched for any more enemies.

"Anyone seen the others?" asked Rios. His answer was a high pitched battle-cry that drew their attention to the cliff across the ravine, where they all bore witness to little Ruby running up the face with the Nevermore's neck entrapped by her massive scythe.

When the cloaked teen reached the top, the avian Grimm was immediately decapitated in a flash of red rose petals. Its body dropping down and disappearing into the ravine as it began to fade away.

"..Wow..." said Nora in awe at the execution.

"That was impressive." added Ren with Pyrrha agreeing with both of them.

Rios smiled, proud of the young girl and her accomplishment over such a large opponent.

 **X**

Black and red eyes remained firmly locked on to the viewing orb before them. There wasn't much in the world that could surprise the 'Queen of the Grimm', her children being everywhere which meant that her eyes and ears were everywhere as well.

But the last thing Salem had been expecting, was the young man in front of her eyes. She had believed that, that accursed bloodline had been all wiped out centuries ago. But it seemed that it managed to survive to the current generation.

Although she was slightly aggravated at the loss of so many of her children, she now knew that the boy was indeed a descendant of the Pale Warrior of legend...and that meant Ozpin had to know as well, otherwise he wouldn't have gone out of his way to find him and bring him to his little huntsman school.

"Seems you have found yourself promising pawns in our little game, old friend." Salem spoke with her cold tone. Her eyes glowing with dark power that channeled into the orb in her hands. "Too bad you will lose them before they have a chance to come into play."

 **X**

The eight huntsman/huntress hopefuls regrouped together and started making their way back to the cliffs where their initiation had began. All of them tired and aura drained from the trials they had endured the last couple of hours.

"So, what do you think these relics are for?" asked Yang as she looked at the gold Knight piece she and Blake had gotten.

"Perhaps there is some kind of meaning behind them to help assemble teams?" offered Pyrrha as she looked over the Rook piece Rios had gotten for them.

Ruby beamed from beside her sister, "Guess that means we'll be on the same team after all, huh Yang?" the blonde smiled back and gave the younger girl a one armed hug.

Rios paused mid-step in his place at the front of the group, his wolf-ears perked straight up when he felt something in the air shift, all of his senses now on high alert. Everyone else stopped when he did, Blake also stood tense, also sensing the same shift with her enhanced senses.

"Rios, what's wrong?" asked Pyrrha.

Slowly, the hunter took Leviathan off his back and held it ready. Everyone else following his lead as he searched the forest around them.

Through one particular plot of trees, a series of growls could be heard just before a pack of 20 Beowolves slowly skulked out into the open. The initiates prepared to fight...but the Grimm didn't advance any farther than a couple meters from the trees, all of them staying close together while forming a half-circle and sitting on their hunches.

Almost like they were waiting.

A few seconds ticked by before something else moved in the trees. Something bigger. The loud cracking and crunching of wood being broken echoed from within as the one making the noise stepped out into the daylight.

Several within the group paled when the beast appeared. Easily five times bigger than the Beowolves and stood almost as tall as the trees it had been hiding within. Quadrupedal as it moved on four powerful legs that ended in sharp claws, bone-armor plates covering its entire back with spikes jutting out from each one.

The front of the creature was dominated by three heads, all of them canine in nature but possessed longer snouts a rows of jagged teeth and covered in bone-masks just like all Grimm.

When its tail rose into the air behind it, it revealed to have a large mass made of its armor covered in spikes, looking similar to a deadly mace that could crush boulders with ease.

Rios clenched the handle of his axe until his knuckles whitened. A _Cerberus_. There had only ever been sightings of such Grimm, many of which were debunked as hallucinations or rumors.

Any of those who had supposedly fought such a beast were never heard from again.

"F-First a Chimera...now this..." Weiss whispered, her grip on her rapier shaking as she looked upon the legendary Grimm. "We don't stand a chance."

"Are you planning on just giving up?" asked Yang sharply, her fists clenched and gauntlets ready.

"We have little aura left and we're bordering on exhaustion!" the heiress snapped, "How do you expect us to take on a Grimm that was only supposed to be a disturbing rumor?!"

"It's not giving us much of a choice." Rios cut in as the Cerberus started to slowly advance. The Beowolves scuttling out of its way like loyal puppies to the apex beast. The initiates prepared their weapons, despite how outmatched they may be, they weren't intending on going down without a fight.

Stopping several meters from the teenagers, the Cerberus raised its three heads and let loose a howl that was so loud most of them were forced to cover their ears from the volume.

The Beowolves howled in chorus before charging ahead. Ruby was the first to recover from the deafening sound, slamming the blade of her sniper/scythe into the ground for support and started firing her weapon as quickly as she could pull the bolt-handle and trigger. Everyone else soon followed, making sure the coming pack was kept at a distance.

When the last of the Grimm fell, leaving only the Cerberus, they readied themselves for another bout...

What they weren't ready for is for the the heads on either side of the center one to start making choking noises. Both pointed their snouts downward before spewing out black ichor that spread into a large puddle in front of it.

"Ew...what's it doing?" asked Nora.

The two heads rose back up when they finished, the puddle started to bubble before a set of claws burst from the surface and stabbed into the ground outside of it. A Beowolf soon crawled itself out of the sludge-like substance and growled while several more followed it.

"That's...really not good." said Yang, quickly reloading her weapons as a dozen more Grimm now stood in front of the larger creature.

"We need to bring it down before it summons more!" said Blake, preparing her own weapon to fight.

Rios charged ahead, the others right on his heels as the newly risen Beowolf pack met them head on. The wolf-Faunus swung Leviathan in a wide arc to the side and removed a head from one of the attacking Grimm, kicking the body into another and staggering it and giving him the opening to send a small wave of ice shards into its center of mass.

When the last of the pack fell, the initiates attacked the Cerberus. The beast's response was swift despite its size, one head snapping its jaws down at the teens while its adjacent front claws swung at them, forcing the group to scatter.

Nora swung her hammer at one of the beast's hind-legs, pulling the trigger on it to add more force as it slammed into the plates protecting the limb.

The Cerberus roared when it felt its bone-armor crack under the impact, its back leg kicked pack and struck the orange-haired girl sending her crashing through several trees.

"Nora!" Ren shouted. He ran at the beast firing his dual SMGs, leaping high up and over it and raining bullets down onto its back with no success in piercing its armor.

When he landed on the Cerberus' back, the head closest to him turned to the side and managed to grab the raven-haired male by the pant=leg in its jaws. Whipping around and throwing him in a different direction.

Blake and Yang went at the large Grimm together, the hidden cat-Faunus using her speed and reflexes to avoid being stepped on as she slashed and shot at anything that looked like a weakness while the brawler fired her gauntlets at the three heads.

Shaking off the hits, the Cerberus roared at the blonde before the center head opened wide. A red glow emitting from deep within its throat. Yang paused before the coming threat registered in her mind.

"BLAKE RUN!" she tackled her partner out of the way seconds before a fireball shot from the Cerberus' mouth. The duo barely managing to avoid being reduced to ashes as the blast scorched the ground where they had been standing.

Ruby and Weiss were up next. The cloaked girl swapped her ammo clip for explosive-dust rounds that she started firing while the heiress spun the dust chamber on her rapier, a series of glyphs appeared around her powered by gravity-dust that were sent at the beast.

Each glyph attached to a body part on the Grimm; legs, heads and tail, weighing them down while her partner aimed for its eyes and joints.

The Cerberus struggled against the semblance powered bindings, its strength forcing Weiss to push more of her aura into the glyphs to keep it in one place. But the large Grimm refused to be held down and fought harder, with another bellowing roar it shattered the glyphs and sent the heiress staggering backwards from the backlash. The beast lunged toward the white-haired girl only for a red blur to grab her and disappear in a burst of rose petals, Ruby carrying her out of harms way thanks to her own semblance.

Rios was firing arrows with Artemis while Pyrrha fired her weapon in rifle-form. The hunter switched to Leviathan while the champion mecha-shifted her rifle and took out her shield as they both ran at the Cerberus. Leaping in different directions to avoid the snapping jaws of all three heads and going on the attack.

The wolf-Faunus cleaved his axe into an exposed part of the left head's neck, black blood painting the white bone-armor when the blade found purchase. Pyrrha doing similar to the other side only to jump away when the beast tried to swipe at her with its claws.

"Keep at it! Find a weak spot!" Rios shouted, rolling out of the way when a set of massive jaws tried to snatch him up. Gritting his teeth, he started summoning his inner rage again.

Normally he didn't use his semblance more than once a day because of the harsh toll it took on his aura. But given the circumstances he had little to no other options.

With a burst of flaming orange aura, Rios roared before sprinting at the Cerberus. The beast releasing a powerful howl in response to the challenge, the ground trembling as it charged at the wolf-Faunus.

Dropping down and sliding across the grass between the Cerberus' legs, Rios brought out Leviathan and stabbed upward. Slicing a long, deep gash along its belly and spilling its blood by the bucket fulls.

Rolling to his feet behind the beast, covered in another layer of ichor, the hunter suddenly dropped to his knees when his aura faded. Repetitive use of his semblance and his lack of aura taking their toll on him.

"RIOS LOOK OUT!" Pyrrha screamed. Rios looked up in time to see the Cerberus' mace-like tail swing back and hit him with the full force of a speeding truck. A couple of the spikes stabbing into his body as he was raised off the ground and sent flying.

He vaguely heard the others screaming after him. His body landing hard and rolling several times across the ground before coming to rest against an over turned boulder. Pain spread to every corner of his being, darkness dancing at the edges of his vision, but through it he could make out the others, fighting against the Cerberus with everything they had and still having trouble getting anywhere.

Despite the pain, Rios attempted to pull himself up. Collapsing back down when it was proven his body was too weak to do so. Instead he reached out with a hand, grasping the dirt and attempting to drag himself back into the fight.

He couldn't let the others fight this beast on their own, he needed to help them, needed to fight with them. He couldn't give up.

His vision blurred, making it harder to make anything out as his consciousness started to leave him.

No matter how hard he tried to keep pushing on, his body started to fail him. He watched Pyrrha get swatted aside by the Cerberus' massive claws, her shield and weapon going in different directions as she went down.

Yang launched herself into the fray to aid her, only for one of the beast's head to grab the back of her brown jacket and slam her into the ground. Her hair lighting up and eyes flaring red as she fought the large Grimm with everything she had.

Rios' vision blurred again, no longer able to maintain his strength as he started to slip away.

 _"N-NO! I can't give up! I need to..."_ he fought against the encroaching darkness that threatened to swallow him. _"I need to...fight! I won't let the others down! No matter what it takes I won't give up!"_

 _ **"Perhaps there is hope for you yet, boy."**_

Everything going on in the world seemed to slow to a complete stop, time itself freezing in place when the deep, baritone voice that had spoken.

Using what strength he had, Rios raised his head and was surprised to see a man standing over him. His appearance hidden by the golden light that surrounded the both of them, but from what he could see the man was huge.

 _ **"Get up."**_ the man demanded.

The wolf-Faunus struggled, doing his best to rise from the ground only to collapse again.

 _ **"Get up, boy! Or are you intending on allowing your friends and allies to die while you lay facedown in the dirt?"**_

At the mention of the others, Rios grit his teeth, digging down deep and summoning everything he had as he pushed himself up. Fighting against the pain and exhaustion as he rose to his knees.

The man looked down at him, his expression unseen. _**"A true warrior kneels to no one. Get to your feet."**_ he said sharply.

The hunter got one of his legs under him, planting his foot and pushing upward. He stumbled, collapsing back to a kneeling position, but a second attempt had him rising up to his height, which only brought him up to the stranger's shoulders.

"Who...Who are you?" Rios asked.

The man took a step forward, his shrouded form coming into focus to reveal a powerful, savage-like being. His only clothing consisting of a long, loin cloth-like kilt, old worn sandals with wrappings around his shins and forearms.

His skin was the color of ash and riddled with scars, the biggest one being a long gash that went across his stomach. Red tribal tattoos curved around his arm and up over his head and standing out from the color of his flesh.

He had no hair on his head, save for a black goatee and eyebrows that settled over a pair of sharp, piercing eyes that seemed to sink right through into the teen's very soul.

Rios couldn't explain it, whether it was his natural Faunus senses or something else entirely, but this man's presence alone was power personified. It surrounded him like a shroud, demanding respect and insighting fear, it was almost enough to force the young man back to his knees.

But through it all...the hunter recognized him.

It was the man in his dreams, the warrior who fought armies and monsters alike. The one enslaved to a god, who slaughtered his own family because of his machinations. A beast who brought chaos to all in his wake...

"Kratos." Rios spoke in almost a whisper.

The man nodded his head, _**"So you do know who I am. Perhaps my legend hasn't completely faded away afterall."**_

"What are you-"

 _ **"Time is short, boy. We can only speak for so long. I am here to offer you a chance to save your friends and allies from death's grasp."**_

Kratos held out his hands, flames traveled along his arms and gathered into his palms before they started to take shape. Taking the form of a pair of wicked and deadly looking blades that were a meter long, the hilts and pommels a dull gold and were shaped like demonic skulls with the curved, jagged blades coming out of the mouths.

The blades pulsed with a dark power, Rios could sense it. But he could also feel a pull toward them, like they were reaching out to him through his aura.

 _ **"The Blades of Chaos."**_ spoke Kratos, _**"The same blades bound to me by Ares, the former God of War. They're weapons like no other, their power infamous and legendary, but they are also a curse that only those descended from myself can hope to bare."**_

The warrior looked down at the teenager before him, _**"Within you exists the blood of true warriors. Warriors who didn't know defeat or surrender, whose rage could topple beasts and armies alike. By accepting these blades, you accept your ancestry, you accept your birthright...and you accept the curse that comes with them."**_

Rios looked from the deadly blades to the spot where the others were frozen in time fighting the Cerberus who was using one of its heads to summon more Beowolves. They wouldn't survive the fight, the beast would either crush them beneath its strength or overwhelm them with more Grimm.

"I can't let them die..." he said, his gaze locking with his ancestor's with an iron-clad will. "If what you say is true, than if I want any hope at saving my friends...I'll do anything in my power to protect them."

Kratos nodded, flipping the blades around so that the pommels were facing the young hunter. _**"Be warned, boy. The blades will only accept those with a will strong enough to withstand their bonding. Power, always comes with a price. Remember this."**_

Rios didn't faultier as he reached out, both hands grasping the legendary weapons. Both of them were surprisingly light given their size...but they felt...right.

In an instant, a chain appeared at the end of both pommels, the links glowing a bright orange and emitting a heat the likes of which the Faunus had never felt before as they came to life and wrapped themselves rightly around his forearms.

The torn sleeves of his thermal were burned away half a second before the loud hiss of searing flesh was heard.

Pain the likes of which Rios had never known pierced his entire being, an almost primal cry of agony ripped from his throat and reached the heavens as the chains continued to burn into his arms...but his grip on the blades remained strong.

During the process, the wolf-Faunus' aura blazed to life. Covering his form and connecting to the Blades of Chaos, forging a bond between the weapons and their new wielder, one that had not been felt in centuries.

Kratos stood and looked on. His features remained cold as stone, but a small amount of pride danced deep within his eyes at the young warrior before him.

He indeed was his blood. A true Spartan in the making.

Rios let loose a loud roar that was quickly followed by an explosion of power that was blinding.

 **X**

Ozpin dropped both his signature mug and his scroll when a column of golden light burst forth from deep within the Emerald Forest. Eyes wide behind his glasses when he felt the power coming from it.

"What is that?!" Glynda shouted, feeling it as well and unable to comprehend where it was coming from.

"C-Could it be...?" the headmaster whispered.

 **X**

Salem reared back from her viewing orb, the power she was feeling...it was unlike anything ever felt before.

Her dark eyes widened when she realized what had just been awoken.

 **X**

Back in the Emerald Forest, initiates and Grimm alike froze where they stood and looked toward the anomaly. The teens being forced to cover their eyes as the light grew blinding for several moments before it began to fade.

When everything finally settled once again, all in attendance were greeted with a sight that would forever be with them to the end of days.

In the center of a badly scorched piece of ground stood Rios. His shirt and cloak completely burned away leaving his muscled upper-half bare. His aura covered his body from head to toe like a shroud, and in his hands were a pair of the deadliest looking blades any of them had ever seen before.

Raising his head, the wolf-Faunus' revealed his eyes, now a sharp gold color that radiated strength and fury. The 'eyes' of the weapon hilts in his hands glowed a similar color as the blades themselves ignited with a sinister blaze.

It was in this moment, that a completely new element was brought forth.

One that would cause either salvation or untold destruction to Remnant and its people.

 **X**

 **A/N: This chapter took me a solid week to plot out and write, I personally think it turned out better than expected, but I'll let you readers be the ultimate judges.**

 **This will not be the only time Rios will meet Kratos. He will be learning a lot about his ancestry and the bloody history that goes with it soon. But more than that, he will learn that not everyone in the world around him can be trusted...not even the Gods.**

 **Looking forward to your reviews. Still open to ideas if anyone is willing to offer any. Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

The power coursing through him was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Something inside of him had awakened, something foreign...but also familiar as it flowed through his veins.

His aura had always felt like a raging river when he entered his semblance state, but right now it felt like a hurricane with him at the eye.

Glowing eyes locked onto the Blades of Chaos clenched in his hands, Rios followed the chains attached to the base of the pommels to where they were wrapped tightly to his forearms. The metal fused to his flesh forming a permanent bond with the weapons, but he could also feel his aura merged with the legendary blades as well.

Shifting his gaze ahead, he saw the others looking toward him in awe, unable to blink as the power radiating from him was something that couldn't ever be ignored. But the wolf-Faunus' focus was on the Grimm, especially the Cerberus who stood tall over the Beowolves it had summoned.

Grip tightening on the blazing swords, Rios took a step forward.

The movement was enough to break the small trans that had fallen over everyone. The three Beowolves closest to the Faunus roared before launching themselves toward him-

Only for one of the Blades of Chaos to come flying toward them, the magical fire surrounding the Hades-forged steel creating a wide arc as the chain attached to the pommel guided it on its swing. Cleaving through flesh and bone as though they were butter, removing the heads from the Grimm in one clean stroke.

With a flick of the wrist, the blade snapped back to the hand it had been thrown from. The bodies of the Beowolves collapsed to the ground and vanished in a burst of ashes.

The Cerberus howled, commanding the Grimm around it to go on the attack. The pack of Beowolves that remained charged the Faunus with the intent to tear him to shreds.

Rios snarled before running at the incoming horde, swinging the Blades of Chaos in a series of slashes that sliced flesh, removed limbs, and burned the remains. For those that tried to get to a distance, he would swing the weapons on their chains and catch them before they got too far. One of the unlucky Beowolves had been speared through the back and out the stomach with one of the blades before being yanked backwards, the weapon returning to its owner who forced it downward, disemboweling the Grimm before coming back around and taking its head off.

Within seconds, all of the lower-level Grimm were no more. Their blackened blood splattered all over the ground and on their executioner being all that remained.

From their spot, the others felt an array of emotions. Shock, awe, disgust and a hint of fear being the most prominent.

"...What...happened to Rios?" asked Ruby, her silver eyes locked onto the powerful swords he was now wielding.

"It could be his semblance." offered Ren, Nora vibrating with a manic grin at his side as they looked on.

"What about the swords? No semblance could create solid matter." Blake threw in while Weiss held a hand over her mouth, trying to avoid getting sick after seeing how the hunter had slaughtered the Grimm.

Pyrrha was watching her partner in awe. The power rolling off of him in waves washing over her and leaving her breathless. His savage takedown of the Grimm aside, she knew that something about him had changed. Something powerful. His aura alone was making her feel weak in the knees, intimidated...and excited at the same time.

Yang was in a similar state. Her lilac eyes seeing nothing but the boy, no, _man_ that was before them. Her heart threatening to beat out of her chest, shivers going up her back. She'd never been this enthralled in someone before, or this aroused.

Glowing eyes locked firmly on the Cerberus, Rios began swinging one of the Blades of Chaos on their chain. Creating a flaming windmill as he started to advance on the larger opponent.

Roaring, the large beast charged the Faunus. Its three mouths wide open and prepared to tear him to pieces.

Rios continued to spin the flaming blade on its chain, waiting for the Cerberus to get close enough before throwing the weapon at the Grimm. The blade piercing the side of the left head's neck as the hunter ran full sprint, avoiding the Cerberus' snapping jaws and leaping into the air, the chain attached to his free arm guiding him in an arc and helping him land on the beast's back.

Pulling hard on the chain, the wolf-Faunus tore the Blade of Chaos from Grimm. Releasing a fountain of ichor as he threw both weapons downward, the chains wrapping around the Cerberus' left head before coming back around with the pommels landing back in his hands.

Pushing his aura into the chains, the links began to glow red hot and started to burn the Grimm's flesh. An agony filled roar was released from the wounded head as Rios started to pull, the heated metal sinking into black flesh while at the same time burning through its bone armor.

With a powerful battlecry, the wolf-Faunus yanked back with all his strength. The chains sliced clean through the neck of the Cerberus, removing the head completely from the body with an explosion of ash and black blood. The remaining two heads screeching from the loss and pain.

The Grimm now disoriented from the head's removal, Rios jumped toward the head on the far right. One of the legendary swords piercing through its bone armor on its back as though it were cardboard as he swung up under it, using the momentum to drive the second blade up through its jaw, affectively pinning its mouth shut.

Yanking the other blade free, the Faunus slashed back and forth on the now vulnerable head. Slicing deep gashes along its snout and neck before plunging the sword into its eye.

Dropping back to the ground, the hunter violently ripped both blades free, spilling gallons of ichor everywhere. The head he had attacked slumping forward a bit, the damage leaving it weakened and nearly useless.

All that remained was the center head, which howled before opening its mouth wide and launching a fireball at Rios.

Rolling to the side to avoid the threat, the wolf-Faunus snapped to his feet swinging the Blades of Chaos upward. Slashing the Cerberus across the chest before following up with a series of swings that struck the beast from different directions.

Jumping into the air, Rios brought his arms together with the chains extended behind him as he came back down. Both weapons struck the ground in front of the Grimm with tremendous force, a geyser of magma shooting upward and viciously burning the beast.

Blades snapping back to his hands, the hunter threw them again at the Cerberus as it staggered from the damage it had taken. The chains of both weapons wrapping around its front legs.

One strong pull and the already imbalanced Grimm collapsed to the ground, Rios brought the Blades of Chaos back to his waiting palms and charged forward, driving them both through the front of its snout while at the same time jumping over its head to its back.

Chains gripped tightly, the Faunus began to pull. The Cerberus' head rose up and pointed toward the sky, struggling as it was forced farther and farther back.

Rios roared as he jerked back with everything he had, a loud sickening crack echoed through the forest as the beast's neck was snapped at an odd angle. It's movements coming to an abrupt stop as it collapsed to the ground, its body already in the process of dissolving into the air.

Pulling the Blades of Chaos free, the hunter looked down at them in deep though. The aura shroud surrounding him fading along with the glow within his eyes as he crossed the weapons on his back, using a small application of aura to allow them to stick in place before taking a minute to collect Leviathan and Artemis. Clipping the frost-axe to his belt with his quiver of arrows while slinging the bow over his shoulder as he made his way to the others.

"Everyone okay?" he asked, snapping them all out of the stupor they had been in after seeing him taking down the Cerberus.

"Uhh..." Ruby said, unable to form a real thought at the moment.

"We're alright." said Pyrrha, going to take a step forward only to stumble when pain flared up her left leg.

Rios snapped out and caught her, the champion blushing when she felt his strong arms wrap around her to keep her upright. "How bad?" he asked.

"Just twisted my ankle, I should be fine soo-EEP!" Pyrrha squeaked when the wolf-Faunus suddenly scooped her up into a bridal carry, her blush darkening to almost the color of her hair.

"We should get moving, more Grimm will be on their way from all the fighting." he said before making his way back in the direction of the cliffs. Ren following with Nora skipping along beside him humming happily.

Yang watched Rios for a moment, trying to understand the flicker of jealousy that briefly passed through her when she saw him walking off with Pyrrha in his arms before she and the others caught up with them. The eight huntsman/huntress hopefuls leaving the Emerald Forest together, their mission a success.

 **X**

Several hours later, all the students that had completed the initiation stood together on a large stage. The rest of the student body gathered in the large auditorium and looked on as Professor Ozpin stood at the front by a microphone as he addressed all in attendance regarding the new hunters' success after watching their exploits on the many large screens around them.

"Russell Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. You four received the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you will be working as team **C** a **RD** na **L**. Led by, Cardin Winchester." the crowd applauded as the newly appointed team stood proud.

The headmaster turned to the next team on the stage. "Next we have Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will be working together as team **RWBY**. Led by, Ruby Rose."

Ruby stood stunned just before Yang glomped on to her, "I'm so proud of you!" she shouted over the applause.

When everything was said and done, Rios and his group stepped up next. "And lastly." Ozpin began. "Soterios, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren and Nora Valkarie. You four collected the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will be known as team **SP** a **R** ta **N**. Led by, Soterios."

Rios blinked in brief surprise at the announcement. Pyrrha smiled at him while Ren and Nora nodded toward their new team leader.

Ozpin looking back with a knowing glint in his eyes as the new teams stood together. "Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year." the headmaster said before putting the ceremony to a close and sending everyone off to their designated dorm rooms.

The newly formed teams RWBY and SPRN walked together through the housing wing of the school where the dorms were situated. Stopping by the doors that led into their rooms which were across from one another and giving each other tired good nights before turning in for the evening.

Rios flicked the lights on revealing a rather large room. Furnished with four beds lining the wall across from the door, a couple book shelves, dressers, desks and two bedside tables. There were also two closets on the far wall next to a door that led to a decent sized bathroom with two showers, one sink and one toilet.

Finding all of their luggage already in the room, the team spread out and started getting ready for bed. Each one taking turns in the shower with the new leader waiting until last.

Now alone in the bathroom, he pulled the Blades of Chaos from his back. Having left Leviathan and Artemis safely in the room, he tried to figure out how he was going to bathe while the mystical weapons were bound to him.

A sudden instinct flowed through him, channeling his aura through the chains and hearing a couple of soft metallic _'clinks'_ were heard as the links attached to the pommels detached from the swords. The chains coiling around his wrists and securing themselves in place.

Confusion, among other thoughts, passed through Rios' mind. But too much had happened that day for him to press the issue at the moment. Carefully laying the Blades of Chaos on the sink, he stepped into the shower and let the warm spray relax his aching muscles before he started washing up.

Finishing up some time later, the wolf-Faunus stepped out of the bathroom only in pair of boxers with a towel around his shoulders. The others were already in their chosen beds as he set the powerful swords with his other weapons and laid down in the only available one next to Pyrrha's.

All of the fighting and revelations of the day catching up with him the moment when his head hit the pillow of the surprisingly soft bed. His exhaustion settling in with the hands of sleep right behind him...

Only dreams were the last thing to greet him.

 **X**

 _Rios gazed up at the long, elegant staircase before him. The polished marble with gold trim making it shine that would rival precious gemstones. All the steps leading to a temple-like structure at the very top._

 _As if moved by an unknown force, the young hunter began to ascend the stairs. His steps only making the softest of taps as he climbed higher and higher._

 _He didn't know why or how, but something at the top was calling to him. Drawing him closer. But before he even had a chance to question anything he discovered that he'd reached the top already, revealing a large temple._

 _The entrance decorated the same as the stairs with several carvings that depicted warriors locked in battle with either each other or creatures he'd never seen before._

 _Stepping through the opening, Rios walked down a long corridor with a high ceiling. Tapestries and painted murals covered the walls depicting more events that were foreign but at the same time familiar._

 _His journey ended in a lavish throne room, a massive, circular pool of water dominating the middle of the chamber. But the young Faunus' eyes were trained on the figure seated above everything._

 _ **"You have come at last."**_ _said Kratos. Rising from his throne and descending the steps._ _ **"It has been many centuries since one of my descendants visited this place."**_

 _"Where are we?" asked Rios._

 _ **"A realm beyond the living and the dead, boy."**_ _answered the ancient warrior._ _ **"One where time stands still, but at the same time the past and present exist. Your blood, much like the generations of your family before you, are connected to this place."**_

 _Rios looked around a second time, "Why?" he asked simply._

 _ **"You wished for answers. Here is where you will get them."**_ _said Kratos._ _ **"You've been having visions while you sleep. Of a past not your own, but tied to your ancestry...my history."**_

 _The Faunus nodded, "I saw what happened...with Ares, and your family."_

 _The Ghost of Sparta closed his eyes briefly, as if remembering the horrible day in question._ _ **"It was a past I fought endlessly to escape from. A madness that consumed my very soul."**_ _his eyes opened and locked with those of his descendant._ _ **"I lived as a warrior. Died as a God. Having suffered the ultimate sacrifice, I was denied release from my torment. I watched the world get torn apart in a great war that I had created against Gods that lorded over it. In the end, I achieved my revenge on those who wronged me...but it did not bring me peace. And the world suffered for it."**_

 _ **"To understand exactly what you are and what you have become, you must learn of the history of how it came to be. If you wish to have any hope of harnessing your birthright and prepare yourself for when the time comes."**_

 _"What do you mean? What's coming?" asked Rios, a sense of dread filling his being at what the warrior was implying._

 _ **"Another great war is on the horizon, boy. By forces not unlike the Gods from long ago that work in the shadows. And your world will be once again torn to the brink of devastation when these forces clash."**_ _Kratos motioned to the pool in the center of the room,_ _ **"Come. You have much to learn and only so much time to learn it."**_

 _As much as Rios wanted to pressed for more information, he knew that the only way to get any of the answers would be to do as the man stated. Despite how strange things had changed in such a short amount of time, deep down he had a feeling that this was what he needed to do. Like an instinct telling him to follow the man that was claiming to be his ancestor._

 _Moving across the room until he was standing beside the pale warrior at the edge of the pool. Kratos looked down at him and gave a stiff nod,_ _ **"Prepare yourself, boy."**_ _the water's surface shimmered before images started to play out before them._

 _The young wolf-Faunus looked on as the images took hold and found himself reliving his ancestor's bloody past._

 **X**

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay folks, doing my best to work out some things with the stories I have open at the moment.**

 **Even though this chapter is shorter than the ones before it. I'm setting the stage for some major events and even some changes to the main canon of RWBY. Hey, it's a God of War crossover, you think Kratos' bloodline would follow the rules? Not a chance.**

 **I do hope I captured the true essence of carnage that comes with fighting with the Blades of Chaos. I have to replay the games from GOW Ascension all the way to GOW III to really understand how Kratos used his weapons and how to put it in writing. Badass, but challenging at the same time.**

 **Read and review, and I'll get back with a new update before you know it!**


	9. Chapter 9

Rio's eyes opened just as the early light of dawn began to make itself known. His body being hardwired to wake up at the earliest possible moments coming into play.

Sitting up slowly, he put a hand to his head as a dull throbbing echoed throughout his skull. Since his encounter with Kratos, throughout the night he had bore witness to the man's past. The battles he fought, the victories he claimed and the losses he suffered. Every event leading from his battle with the dreaded Hydra to the final confrontation with Ares off the shores of Athens.

How the ancient warrior had used the power within the fabled Pandora's Box to slay the God of War.

More than once Rios felt as though he were reliving these moments through Kratos' eyes, feeling his rage and blood-lust on the battle field as he carved a path of death and chaos through anyone and anything that dared stand between him and his goal.

It was inspiring...as much as it was terrifying.

The last images the wolf-faunus witnessed were the moments when Kratos had been crowned the new God of War and took his seat upon Mount Olympus with the other Gods and Goddesses before his ancestor pulled him from the memories.

 _ **"That is enough for now. Your mind can only handle so much at one time. Rest, boy. We will continue this another time."**_ with that being said, Rios was sent into a dreamless sleep.

It was strange, now that he thought about it. The Kratos he met in person was very different when compared to the one in the memories. He was calmer, more patient, and lacked the same vengeful fire he possessed when he was alive.

What had happened in the past that had changed the legendary Spartan warrior on such a powerful level?

Shaking his head, Rios knew deep down he would understand in due time. Just not now.

Looking over at the other beds, he saw the rest of his team still peacefully sleeping. It was still early, classes wouldn't start until 9 so they had plenty of time to get the rest they would need for the day ahead.

The pain in his head fading, Rios slipped out of his bed and went over to his ruck sack. Pulling out a pair of black cargo shorts and matching wife-beater, he got dressed and slipped on his boots before picking up the Blades of Chaos.

Like the previous night, he sent a pulse of aura through the chains bound to his arms. The ends coming alive almost like serpents as the end-links rose up and attached to the pommels of the mystical swords.

Crossing the weapons over his shoulders, the hunter gave one last look at his team before slipping quietly out of the dorm. Following the path he had memorized out of the academy and in the direction of the Emerald forest, his face calm as stone as he drew closer to the cluster of dark trees.

As if sensing his approach, several sets of glowing red eyes appeared. Growls and snarls echoing from the shadows at the Faunus as he approached.

Reaching back, Rios withdrew the Blades of Chaos and held them ready. "Time to put what I learned last night to good use." he said as the blades lit up with magical fire.

 **X**

Back in team SPRN's dorm room, Pyrrha awoke feeling refreshed after initiation the previous day. The young champion sat up in her bed and stretched with a soft yawn before looking toward the bed beside her own and found it empty.

"Morning, Pyrrha." Nora chirped happily from her own bed on the other side of the room, already dressed the school uniform provided for them during classes.

"Good morning, Nora. Where are Ren and Rios?" asked the red-head as she got out of bed.

The bubbly bomber grinned and bounced in place a bit, "Renny went to get us some pancakes! As for our fearless leader...Haven't seen him. He was gone when Renny and I woke up."

Pyrrha looked back toward her partner's bed and wondered where he was.

Some time later, Ren had returned with a good breakfast for all of them while Pyrrha had gotten ready for their first day of classes. They had just settled in and started eating when the door opened.

The three team mates looked up to see Rios coming in, his clothes dirty and torn in several places with his new swords on his back stained with Grimm blood. "Hey fearless leader!" Nora said through a mouthful of pancake that she quickly swallowed, "What were you up to?"

"A little early morning training. Sorry for disappearing, but I figured you all would need your rest." Rios replied as he removed the Blades of Chaos and set them on a nearby desk gently. "I'm going to shower, then I think it would be best for all of us to talk before we head to our first class."

Getting nods from the others, the wolf-faunus went into the bathroom, coming out several minutes later in his own school uniform with the sleeves torn off at the elbows exposing his chain-wrapped forearms.

"I'm going to be honest." said Rios as he sat on his bed, accepting the plate Ren offered him graciously. "I didn't expect to be elected as team leader. Even though I was trained well, I have very little experience in fighting with a group. That doesn't mean I won't do my best to lead us, but it will be a work in progress."

Pyrrha smiled at her partner, "We can understand that, Rios. And we'll have plenty of time to work on our dynamics together, as a team should."

"We wouldn't have gotten through initiation without your quick thinking." added Ren, "Even team RWBY followed along when we all attacked the Cerberus."

"You can count on us, fearless leader!" Nora exclaimed before realizing something, "Oh! Speaking of initiation." she pointed at the hunter's arms. "Where did the cool bracelets come from? And the flaming swords?"

Rios contemplated on what to say. What could he say? He really didn't fully understand everything that had happened, and was still happening, himself.

"They're family heirlooms. They came to me when I needed them most." he answered honestly, but evading the full story at the same time.

Ren and Nora seemed to accept the answer and focused on their breakfast, but Pyrrha kept her emerald gaze on her partner. Shifting them over to the wicked looking blades on the desk in thought.

From that moment team SPRN spent the remaining time they had before class talking. They would be spending the next four years together, so it was imperative that they at the very least got to know one another.

Rios found it was rather easy to get along with Ren and Nora. He could tell that they had known each other a long time and had a deep connection, despite their near polar opposite personalities.

Ren was calm and collected, while Nora was brash and energetic. Even though they were very different, they seemed to fit together perfectly.

They all talked about random things, likes and dislikes mostly. Pyrrha spoke about her time in Argus and the training she had done while Nora spoke about all the different things she and Ren had done since childhood.

When asked, the wolf-faunus told them about his home in the Northern frontier, his training with his parents and how Ozpin had offered him a place at Beacon personally. Nora had oddly asked him if he had acquired Ursa skinned rugs to decorate his home which had Rios raising an eyebrow at her while Ren sighed.

At 8:30, Rios had said they should get going and headed out to find their first class which was Grimm Studies with Professor Port.

Finding seats in the middle of the small lecture hall, team SPRN got settled as more students came in. Just before class was set to begin, team RWBY came barreling through the doors and quickly took the four seats next to their fellow first years.

"Cutting it a bit close there." Rios said to the all female team,

" _Someone_ decided it was a good idea to decorate our dorm when we should have been getting ready for classes." Weiss said with a sharp look at Ruby who bashfully rubbed the back of her head.

"Well...we made it just in time, that's what matters." stated Yang from her spot beside the wolf-Faunus with Pyrrha on his other.

Before anything else could be said, Professor Port entered the room and took his place at the front of the class.

"Good morning everyone!" he said jovially, "And welcome to your first day here at Beacon academy! I am Peter Port, and I will be teaching you everything you need to know about that darkness that you will soon be hunting."

The mustached man motioned to the drawings and diagrams of various Grimm around the room, "Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night." he started his lesson, "Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names. But I merely refer to them as prey!" he gave a laugh but was met with the chirping of crickets from the gathered students.

"And you shall too after graduating from this prestigious academy." he continued unhindered. "Now, as I was saying. Vale, along with the other three kingdoms, are safe havens from the otherwise treacherous world. Our planet it absolutely teaming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in."

Most of the gathered students had started to lose interest in what the man was saying as he monologued more and more about facts that didn't seem to fit a lesson plan. Even Rios found it difficult ro follow along as the Professor seemed to go on and on about tales from his youth.

The Faunus found it more than a little frustrating when he went on and on. Wasn't the point of the class to teach them about the Grimm and how to beat them?

Scanning his eyes around the room, Rios saw that the rest of the class were doing what they could to focus and stay awake. Only a select few were actually taking notes while the man spoke. Looking to his other side, he saw the girls of RWBY doing similar.

Ruby was drawing crude cartoon rendition of their teacher which caused Yang to laugh, and Weiss was doing her best to shoot daggers at the red cloaked girl, gritting her teeth as she scribbled notes harshly into her notebook.

"The moral of this story," Professor Port said wrapping things up. "A true huntsman must be honorable, dependable, strategic, well educated, and wise. So who among you believes to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"I DO SIR!" everyone's attention went to Weiss who had her hand raised and her whole form tense like a spring ready to snap.

"Well then, let's find out." the professor said as a cage was wheeled into the room from the back. The reinforced box rattled as whatever was inside fought to break out. "Step forward, and face your opponent."

The heiress left the room and came back in her combat attire a few minutes, her team cheering for her as she stood on the opposite side of the room with weapon in hand and prepared to fight whatever Grimm Port had in the cage.

The Professor approached the lock for the cage. "Are you ready, Miss. Schnee?" Weiss nodded stiffly, keeping her gaze locked on the crate. "Now, let the match...begin!" he took his Blunderaxe and shattered the lock, allowing a Boarbatusk to come shooting out and nearly spearing her with its tusks.

Rios' attention went completely to the match taking place, his sharp eyes keeping track of every move the heiress made as she fought against the boar-Grimm. It was easy to tell that she had been trained well to use her rapier, and her movements were fluid and precise...

However, he could also tell that there was a strong aura of arrogance about her, most likely from her upbringing and drive to be the best at everything put before her. It was this point that made her over-confident which ended up leaving her disarmed and struggling, refusing help from her leader and even snapping at her for only trying to offer assistance to her partner.

In the end she had managed to put the Grimm down.

"Bravo! Bravo! We seem to be in the presence of a true huntress in the making." Professor Port said as the Boarbatusk dissipated into the air while Weiss went back to her seat and sat down without saying a word. "As you can see, each Grimm is capable of attacking in very unique, and even surprising ways. As future hunters, you must always be vigilant if you wish to succeed...and survive any hunts you may find yourselves on."

The bell suddenly rang, "I'm afraid this is all the time we have for today, students. Do the assigned reading and I'll be seeing you all again soon. Class dismissed."

Everyone started to file out, Rios with his team when his sensitive hearing picked up the sound of the Schnee heiress berating Ruby and her inability to be a leader of their team.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up in a minute." he said to the others. Pyrrha nodded as she, Ren and Nora headed to their next class while the wolf-faunus headed toward where he could hear Weiss still talking down to the younger girl. Turning the corner in the hallway just in time to see the heiress stalking away from a distraught Ruby.

The cloaked girl sighed and turned around only to jump when she saw her fellow leader standing there. "Oh...h-hey Rios." she said, trying hard to cover her sadness.

"She's wrong." Rios stated, motioning to where Weiss had disappeared.

"You...heard all that?" asked Ruby, her face falling.

"These ears aren't just for show, Ruby." the Faunus replied, wiggling his wolf-ears back and forth. "That aside, Weiss had no right to talk down to you in such a way. Not when she herself has much to learn."

"But what if she was right?" the younger girl implored, "What if I'm not cut out to be a leader? What if Professor Ozpin made a mistake?"

Rios searched her face, the vulnerability in her silver eyes showing that even though she was a prodigy in her own right, she was still a 15 year old girl trying to attain her dream.

"I asked myself the same question when the headmaster made me leader of team SPRN." the Faunus said honestly, surprising Ruby. "I've lived and trained on my own for so long, I had my doubts about being able to work with others. I informed Pyrrha, Ren and Nora this morning about that, but they're willing to be there and help me overcome any doubts I might have."

He gave the girl a calm smile, "You're still young, inexperienced. But that's why we're all here. To learn, to adapt, and to grow. I can see now why my parents wanted me to come here." Rios put a hand on her shoulder gently, "You are not alone, Ruby. The last thing either of us expected was to lead, but we can help each other, and become what we need to be so that our teams succeed."

Ruby gave a beaming smile from the hunter's words, "Rios...thank you."

"No problem, pup." the wolf-faunus replied before motioning down the hallway, "Come on, we're going to be late for our next class."

The two leaders walked side by side down the hallway, unaware that Ozpin had stood just out of sight listening to their conversation.

"Well said, Soterios."

 **X**

The next class was Combat Class. The course being held in a circular arena with seats surrounding the upper level for the students to observe the events happening on the floor below.

Rios took his place beside Pyrrha like in Grimm Studies while Ruby took a seat next to her sister, she and Weiss separated by their team mates which didn't go unnoticed by either of them.

When everyone was finally settled and the bell rang, the professor began. "Welcome students, to the combat portion of your studies here at Beacon," she said as she checked to be sure everyone was present, "Where you will hone your skills and learn the fundamentals needed to ensure not only victory, but how to keep yourselves and your team mates alive in a conflict."

"As future huntsmen and huntresses, it is imperative that you maintain a strong training regiment to ensure that your abilities are at their peak. Practicing outside of classes either on your own, with your partner, or with your team as a whole, is greatly encouraged if it means helping you to succeed in your time here at Beacon."

Goodwitch typed a few things on her scroll and a large screen appeared above the stage with everyone's pictures on it. "Starting today, you will be randomly selected to face off in mock-battles with other students in the class to test your skills. Each match will be held within tournament standards; if your opponent gives up, is unconscious, or their aura level is in the red, the match is over. Your grades depend on your performance, skill level, and creativity while in combat."

Her green eyes looked up and scanned the gathered students, "If for any reason there is an issue during a match, I will call an end to it immediately if there is risk of injury." she said loud and clear. "Be aware of your aura levels and keep your scroll on hand at all times to be sure of this, the infirmary is on stand-by...as a precaution."

Some of the students looked nervous, while others looked ready to get things started.

The blonde huntress nodded and motioned to the board, "Now then, once your names appear, you are to prepare yourselves and gather in the arena below." the pictures on the board cycled as the selection process began.

After several seconds, two images appeared;

 _ **Weiss Schnee VS Soterios**_

A series of mutterings could be heard among the students, Weiss turned her gaze toward the leader of SPRN who rose from his seat and silently made his way to get ready for their match.

Despite her confidence in her skills, especially with how she had dispatched the Boarbatusk earlier, a part of the heiress felt dread seep into her stomach at having to face the wolf-faunus in combat.

The memories of what he did to the Grimm back in the Emerald forest heavy on her thoughts. Regardless, she wouldn't be seen as weak, and she was intending on showing everyone what she could really do.

Standing up from her chair, her team wished her good luck as she went to get ready...the feeling in her stomach only intensifying with each step she took.

 **X**

 **A/N: Nothing against Weiss, but in the beginning of the series she was a complete bitch to just about everyone thanks to her upbringing. And even though Port's talk with her set her straight a bit, I personally believe that she needed to be humbled a bit more.**

 **And she's got one hell of a life lesson coming to her in the form of Kratos' descendant.**

 **Hitting my stride again with this story, so keep reviewing and I'll keep writing.**


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: Still making a comeback folks, and this was another one long overdue. Even though this chapter didn't end up nearly as long as I hoped it would be, I intend on making the ones to follow at least double or triple the word count. With the changes already in place, and the many more to come later, it'll all come together soon enough._**

 ** _For now, let's get back to what you have been waiting for._**

 **X**

Rios stood in the locker room where all of the student's weapons and armor were located. Pulling on a tight black sleeveless thermal shirt and his lightly damaged cargo shorts, he made a mental note to look into an actual set of armor in the near future for combat as he fixed Leviathan and Artemis to his back with his arrows on his waist.

The Blades of Chaos were still safely tucked away in his teams dorm room. As much as he wanted to bring out the ancient blades for this class, the warning given to him by Kratos would echo in the back of his mind;

 _ **"The Blades of Chaos are never to be taken lightly, boy. They are indeed powerful, but as I have said before, power always comes with a price. With the blades, it is blood."**_

 _ **"The flames enchanted into their metal allow them to cut through almost anything, including the aura warriors shroud themselves with. Never use them against an ally, unless you intend to strike them down like an enemy."**_

Rios closed his locker and took a deep breath. He may have issued with the Schnee name, and Weiss had been doing nothing to disprove his avarice, but he didn't want to maim or kill the heiress.

Prepared, the wolf-Faunus left the locker room and entered the arena where his opponent and Professor Goodwitch were waiting.

 **X**

On the elevated balconies above, teams RWBY and SPRN looked on with the rest of the class as the two combatants stood across from each other and waited to begin.

"Hey, Rios didn't bring his swords." Yang commented, noticing the hunter only had his axe and bow.

"He probably thought they would be overkill for a simple spar." offered Ren while Nora cheered for their leader.

Pyrrha and Ruby remained silent, both silently cheering on their respected partners while also wishing best for their opponents

Blake's sharp gaze remained locked on the wolf-Faunus, her bow subtly twitching every other second thanks to her hidden ears. She'd been around canine-like Faunus in the past, despite her natural aversion given her heritage as a cat-Faunus. But something about Rios put her on edge.

The presence he gave off was that of an alpha, one that was both strong and imposing. Whether he realized he was giving off such a feeling was unknown, but the moment he acquired those deadly blades back in the Emerald forest that feeling multiplied greatly.

More so, she wasn't the only Faunus in the school to notice. She'd seen others giving Rios a wide berth when he was near and watching him out of the corner of their eyes. Even now, she wasn't the only one watching him with rapt attention at the moment.

 **X**

"Miss. Schnee, Soterios, are you ready?" asked Professor Goodwitch, looking between the two students.

Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster and held it at the ready while Rios simply crossed his arms over his chest, the chains wrapped around his forearms rattling softly as he did so.

The blonde huntress hit a few keys on her scroll and the scoreboard at the back of the arena lit up with the combatants' aura levels as she stepped off to the side. "You may begin!" she called out, officially starting the match.

The heiress dropped into a fencer's stance, her body tense, ready for anything to come her way...but her opponent hadn't moved.

Rios remained where he was, arms still crossed and his eyes locked onto the heiress. Reading her like a hunter stalking its prey.

After a minute of waiting, Weiss decided to make the first move. The dust chamber of her weapon rotated, selecting the dust she needed before launching herself forward. Her feet gliding across the arena as though it were ice with her rapier poised to strike her opponent down.

Hazel eyes tracked the heiress' movements sharply, watching as she drew closer as Rios dropped his arms and spun to the left as Weiss flew past him. He immediately dropped to a kneeling position, keeping the momentum of his spin as the thin blade of his opponent passed just above his wolf-ears, swinging outward and connecting hard with the heiress' midsection with his chain-covered right arm.

The power behind the blow sent Weiss to the floor and rolling back several feet, her aura taking a noticeable hit on the monitor.

"Whoa!" Nora said, stunned like everyone else at the sudden maneuver Rios had done.

"How did he know Weiss was going to attack him when she went by?" wondered Ruby.

"Look at his eyes." Blake said, the others doing just that and found Rios standing with his arms crossed again with his eyes still zeroed in on Weiss as she got back to her feet. "He hasn't taken them off of Weiss since the match began."

Ren nodded, seeing it too. "He's reading her movements, every step she makes and predicting what she'll do next."

"And she's telegraphing her self very clearly." added Pyrrha.

When the heiress got back to her feet, she put Myrtenaster infront of her. "It'll take more than a lucky shot to beat me!" she called to her opponent.

Rios remained silent, his piercing gaze making a chill go up Weiss' spine. The heiress rotated her dust chamber, her blade glowing a bright red as she spun around and stabbed it into the floor. A line of flames shooting across the arena toward the Faunus a moment later.

Grabbing Leviathan, Rios charged his aura into the axe before slamming it into the floor and cutting upward. A line of ice-spikes shooting up from the ground in a straight line that connected with the flames shot by the heiress, an explosion echoing through the arena when the two elements connected sending chunks of ice in all directions.

Covering her face with her arms from the blast, Weiss lowered them and blinked when she saw a small bank of fog filling the arena making it hard for her to see more than a couple of meters in any direction.

Weapon held ready, the heiress' blue eyes scanned all around her. Hoping to catch some sort of sign from her opponent. The fog began to clear, but she still couldn't find Rios anywhere...

Then she heard heavy footsteps coming up behind her at running speed.

Smirking, Weiss spun around. Myrtenaster's dust chamber spinning as well as she launched a volley of lightning bolts. The attack cutting through what was left of the fog and hitting only open air which surprised her. Movement above had her gaze snap upward where Rios was coming down on her with his axe poised to cut her down.

With only a split second to think, the heiress activated a glyph under her that catapulted her backwards as his weapon slammed the ground where she had been standing with an explosion of ice going in every direction.

Not giving her a chance to regroup, Rios launched himself after her. Throwing Leviathan ahead of him that Weiss deflected with her own weapon and tried to stab forward only to have her rapier caught in a steel vice grip. The Faunus headbutted the heiress, snapping her head back and making her see stars despite her aura still being active, leaving her wide open for the hard kick to the chest that sent her crashing against the nearest wall.

The wolf-Faunus lowered his leg, Myrtenaster held in his hand as he began to advance on the downed heiress. Standing over her as she struggled to get back up.

"A Schnee, defeated by a mere _mongrel_. That must hurt your pride more than a little." Rios spoke for the first time since the match began. "It's that same pride and arrogance that will lead to your own downfall."

Weiss raised her head and glared at him, not saying a word.

"One thing you will come to realize is that, on the battlefield, no one gives a damn about your name, your wealth, or your social status. All they'll care about is your blood being spilled on the ground." the Faunus continued, "You act superior to everyone else simply because you supposedly got the best training, the best tutors, the best weapons." he tossed Myrtenaster to the floor beside her.

"Yet I was trained by my parents in the Northern Frontier, and defeated you today without those privileges. Perhaps instead of seeing others, including your own team mates, as inferior, maybe you should take the time to learn what those private lessons never taught you."

Holding his hand out, Leviathan flew into his grasp before turning on his heel and walking away.

Gritting her teeth, Weiss reached out and grabbed Myrtenaster. Using the weapon to help her stand.

"I'm not...finished yet." she said, bringing Myrtenaster to bare and launching herself at her opponent's back.

Rios' left wolf-ear twitched. The hunter spun around and snapped a hand out, the rest of the class could only watch in shocked horror as the rapier's blade stabbed into his palm. The tip piercing all the way through and stopping an inch from his face.

The silence that filled the arena was suffocating, Weiss stood wide-eyed and pale as she watched a stream of blood trail down the Faunus' arm from where he had been impaled. But what chilled her to the core wasn't the wound she inflicted, or the fact that he didn't use his aura to take the blow.

No, it was the emotionless expression and piercing gaze Rios pinned on her. Infact, he showed no sign of even _feeling_ the weapon go through his hand.

"You have much to learn." he said, gently removing Myrtenaster from the heiress' limp grasp. Pulling the blade free with a soft spray of crimson before his aura went to work at healing the wound. "It's obvious you're trying to prove something. Whether to yourself or someone else. Either way, at the end of it all, your goals are your own. However, allow me to offer words from my ancestors."

Rios held Myrtenaster out sideways to the heiress;

"Forget every concept, however noble, that you imagine you fight for here today. Act for this alone: for the ones who stand at your shoulder. They are everything, and everything is contained within them."

Weiss blinked, the message was cryptic, but deep down she had a feeling she knew the meaning behind it. Accepting her weapon back, the Faunus turned once again and began to leave the arena.

"I look forward to our next spar, Weiss." he said over his shoulder at the heiress before he disappeared from sight, leaving a stunned class in his wake.

Overcoming her own stupor at what she had heard and witnessed, Professor Goodwitch declared Rios the winner of the match. All the while her eyes never leaving where the hunter had gone.

 **X**

Given that Combat Class was the last lesson of the day, Rios decided to take the time to walk around one of the campus' many courtyards. Taking in the sights and sounds around him as the thought back to his recent spar.

Despite her arrogance and upbringing, he could see in Weiss' eyes the drive to prove herself. It also showed in her actions as well, though her reasons are her own, he could tell there was much more to the heiress beneath the surface.

As such, he held back. Hoping to reach her through his words and her defeat in the arena. Perhaps she would change for the better, if not it'll be a lesson she'll have to learn a much harder way.

"You certainly know how to inspire others."

Rios perked up and saw Professor Ozpin standing infront of him, cane in one hand and coffee mug in the other.

"I take it you saw and heard everything?" asked the Faunus.

The headmaster nodded, "Your words to Miss. Rose and Miss. Schnee will no doubt have a lasting impact on them. Your parents certainly taught you much more than how to defend yourself and survive. I knew offering you a place in Beacon would be a wise choice."

A brief moment of silence passed between the two, "Is there something you needed, headmaster?" asked the hunter.

"No. Just to say keep up the good work. We can all expect great things from you, Soterios." Ozpin turned and slowly walked away, leaving Rios to wonder what he had meant.

 _ **"Be weary of who you trust, boy. Those with agendas of their own will do whatever is needed to achieve their goals. Do not become their pawn. Because pawns, in the end, are always sacrificed."**_

Kratos' words from the night before rang through his head, causing a small feeling of paranoia to creep up his spine. But the question was why he felt this way around Ozpin all of a sudden, and only after he began learning about his ancestor's past?

Shaking his head, Rios decided to head back into the school, no doubt the others would be looking for him. Pushing the feeling to the farthest reaches of his mind...for now anyway.

 **X**

 _ **A/N: As previously stated, a short chapter, but one that will keep things alive long enough for me to get the next one typed up and ready.**_

 _ **And Rios has so much more to learn about his ancestor's past, and the power that will soon come with it in the end.**_

 _ **Read, review and kickass everybody! And I'll be back with the next update before you know it!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: And here we are once again. Since this story has been shelved for a while, I thought it was about time to blow the dust off and get another chapter out there. And with season 7 of RWBY leaving some folks indecisive, I figured to put my own perspective on things like many others before me.**

 **X**

Beacon academy's forge was located on the far side of the campus in its own building. Equipped with everything the students and professors would need to repair, upgrade and craft their weapons and armor. There was even a small 'lab' of sorts where those with the knowledge could create their own dust rounds, however that was off limits to all but third and fourth year students.

Currently, the forge was empty save for a familiar wolf-Faunus who was standing by a workbench and giving what he was working on his complete attention.

It had been almost two months since the semester began, and Rios had utilized that time to its fullest.

The assignments and tests, although challenging at times, weren't that difficult to overcome. Though he made it a point for his team to study together regularly, helping each other by working on where each of them struggled. They followed the same process in their training.

Even though they trained on their own, team SPRN got together and created a strong dynamic when they fought together.

Though not all of their time was dedicated to school and training. A couple times a week they would go into Vale and simply enjoyed themselves, something new for Rios given where he had lived most of his life, but he found himself having a good time whenever he and his team mates went out. More than once team RWBY joined them as well.

Speaking of their sister team; Ruby and Weiss' relationship had greatly improved. The heiress was still uptight, but she was much warmer and friendly to not only her leader/partner, but others as well. And Ruby took a far more serious approach to her studies and learning to be a good leader for her team. Both girls even helped each other on all fronts.

Thinking back over the last few weeks a moment longer, the wolf-Faunus looked back down at his work before applying the finishing touches.

In his free time while the rest of team SPRN were doing their own personal business, he'd started a couple of projects that he thought would assist him when in a fight.

The first was a set of armor, deciding that constantly using what clothes he had brought with him wouldn't do him any good. Especially since he had to throw out several articles due to rips and tears. He'd finished that two weeks prior.

His second project was a bit more hands on and required more time and focus. And his effort had finally paid off.

Rios picked up what looked to be a simple arm guard. Colored a faded-gold with a half-baseball sized dome in the center bearing the omega sigil of his family and ancestry.

Strapping the guard to his arm over the chains fused into the skin, clipping it into place and ensuring it was tight enough. Once secured, he took a couple steps back from the bench, clenching his fist while testing the weight, the Faunus snapped his arm forward causing a series of shutters to spread out like a fan and come together to form a circular shield only slightly larger than the one his partner used.

He'd been inspired during one of the many visions Kratos had shown him from his past, how the Spartans that once served under the former god utilized such shields with such skill while in combat. This, coupled with wanting a stronger defense in a fight, the Faunus got to work on a collapsable version that he could activate at a moment's notice.

Looking over his work, Rios checked for anything out of place before collapsing the shield and activating it again to be sure there wasn't any delay. With a satisfied smirk, he collapsed the shield before he began cleaning up the spare parts and tools he had been using.

When he was finished, Rios left the forge and made his way toward the cafeteria where he knew the others already were, if the one message from Pyrrha and countless others from Nora were anything to go by.

 **X**

"So, there we were. In the middle of the night." Nora said ominously as the two teams sat together at their usual table at lunch.

"It was day." Ren corrected at her side while drinking tea.

"We were surrounded by Ursa." the girl continued.

"They were Beowolves." commented her partner.

"Dozens of them!"

"Two of them."

"But they were not match," Nora pressed on, ignoring her partner, "And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"

Everyone at the table was in various states of paying attention. Yang seemed to be paying the closest along with Ruby. Blake was sitting quietly reading a book but was just as focused on the tale. Weiss was busy filing her nails. And Pyrrha was listening while also looking around the cafeteria for her partner/leader.

Ren sighed when Nora finished speaking, "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." he explained.

"Sounds pretty awesome to me." said Yang.

"Too bad it's impossible to skin a Grimm after killing it." Blake threw in while turning another page in her book.

Ruby nodded in agreement before looking around their table, "So, anyone heard from Rios yet?"

"Not yet, he said he was going to the forge to finish another project he had started. But that was earlier this morning." replied Pyrrha.

"How has he been as a leader?" asked Weiss with genuine curiosity. The heiress having acquired more than a little respect for the wolf-Faunus after their spar weeks ago and the advice he had given her.

Nora beamed, "He. Is. Awesome!" she exclaimed which garnered the attention of several students around them for a brief moment.

"His training regiment sounds pretty harsh at times, but we've become a tight-knit unit on the battlefield." Ren added.

"Harsh how?" asked Yang while the rest of her team leaned in, wanting to know as well.

"Not in an abusive kind of way." Pyrrha spoke truthfully, "He figured out flaws and weaknesses in our fighting styles and helped us with them through extensive sparring. Targeting those areas so that we'll either overcome them, or make a defense to cover them. He told us it was one of the ways his father trained him years ago."

It was actually surprising to them how well Rios had been able to dissect their strengths and weaknesses. Even more so when he helped them discover ways for them to not only help themselves, but each other in a tight situation.

The Mistrial champion herself finding her semblance almost useless against him in a friendly spar they had during one of their team's training days. Even though she could easily control his frost-axe with her polarity, he also relied on his fists and bow. The latter only being made of wood and sharpened dust crystals, while the former...actually, she couldn't explain it.

With those odd chains wrapped around his forearms, Pyrrha at first thought he would find himself at a disadvantage. But when she tried to use her semblance on them...nothing happened.

She'd been so surprised that she ended up taking a right hook to the jaw that sent her tumbling. To this day the redhead couldn't find an explanation other than the chains her partner wore had to be shielded somehow. However, if she were being honest, she'd gotten a real thrill when the two of them fought.

For so long Pyrrha had been stuck with the moniker of 'The Invincible Girl' thanks to all her training, skill and her semblance. But with her partner, she actually found herself on the defensive more than she'd ever been before.

Rios was a powerhouse, and was able to utilize his strength while maintaining a fair amount of speed and quick thinking. Although they always stopped their sessions before a 'winner' could be found, Pyrrha had a feeling more than once that she would have eventually lost.

Such a thing surprised her, while at the same time making her excited at the same time. To have someone who was on the same level as her, to challenge her in ways she hadn't before. The champion actually started looking forward to sparring with him again and see him in action.

All that strength, it was thrilling to see up close, to FEEL it. She couldn't help but think about it more than she was willing to-

"Uh, Pyrrha?" asked Nora, snapping the red-head out of her daze.

"Huh?" she blurted when she saw everyone looking at her strangely.

"You okay there, P-Money? Your face is turning more red than your hair." said Yang.

Pyrrha's blush deepened as she shrunk in on herself a bit, "I...I'm fine." she said lowly, causing confusion to pass over the others at her odd behavior.

"Did Rios say what he was working on?" asked Ruby, wondering what her fellow leader had been making.

"Something that would help him on a more defensive front." said Ren. "He finished a suit of armor a couple weeks back, so he might be working on a shield or something similar."

Nora bounced in her seat, "You guys should see his new armor! It's so badass! Even Pyrrha couldn't stop looking at it."

The red-headed champion looked away with another blush filling her cheeks. Though their conversation was broken when they heard laughter at a table not too far away. All eyes turning to see Cardin Winchester and the other members of CRDL surrounding a girl with long brown bunny ears who looked uncomfortable.

"Those guys again." Yang said sharply.

"I can't understand why they were even allowed to be here." Weiss added with a look of scrutiny at the other team. "All they do is act like a bunch of neanderthals."

Ruby frowned, "They're bullies...I hate bullies."

Blake's grip on her book tightened when she saw the rabbit faunus being harrassed by CRDL, wanting nothing more than to go over there and defend her fellow faunus. But she didn't want to risk being discovered after working so hard to be hidden.

Cardin reached out and started pulling the poor girl's left ear, making her cry out in pain while his team laughed at her. "See, told you they were-" he never got to finish as someone grabbed his own ear and twisted, _hard_.

Everyone in the cafeteria stopped what they were doing when the leader of CRDL suddenly shouted in pain and alarm. Finding him on his knees clutching at the arm holding his ear which belonged to Rios. The wolf faunus glaring down at the thug with the fires of Hades burning in his eyes.

"Strange. To you it didn't seem like what you were doing hurt that much." he said with a chilling tone while yanking back and causing Cardin to shout again.

"L-Let go you damn mutt!" the other leader bellowed, his team standing only for a look from the hunter to freeze them in place.

"Or what, _Cardin_?" Rios asked condescendingly. He looked to the stunned rabbit faunus and motioned with his head, telling her she could leave safely while he handled things. She nodded her thanks and scurried away while he looked down at his captive.

"I'm getting real sick and tired of you attacking our classmates. It was only a matter of time before you pissed off someone enough to do something about it. And it seems your reckoning has come."

He released Cardin's ear and stepped back, the other leader immediately stood and spun around. "You're gonna pay you damn dog!" he shouted while swinging a wide punch.

Rios blocked it with his forearm and delivered a hard palm strike to Cardin's armored chest, sending him over the table and landing on the floor on the other side.

Watching their leader go down, the rest of CRDL went on the attack. Sky tried to kick the wolf faunus but found his foot caught in an iron grip. Rio spun left, taking the smaller teen with him and slamming him into Dove, sending both crashing to the floor in a heap.

Russell attempted to get behind him, but Rio's wolf ears twitched at the last second before he ducked low. Slamming his elbow back into the other teen's stomach before grabbing the back of his head and slamming it into the table.

Cardin got back up to see his team laid out. Gnashing his teeth, he charged Rios with a battlecry. The wolf faunus merely shook his head, "Pathetic." he muttered, catching both of the other leader's arms before delivering a headbutt that shattered Cardin's nose.

Stunned, he couldn't defend himself as Rios wrapped an arm around his torso and lifted him off the ground. Slamming him through the same table they had been sitting at and effectively taking him out.

A thick silence filled the lunch room as Rios looked at the downed team, "This is your last warning. We're supposed to be training to be warriors. Not common thugs. Better learn that quickly." he said, spitting at the floor.

"That was awesome!" Yang shouted, she and the others having been unable to look away from the beatdown Rios had delivered to CRDL.

"Yeah! Too bad you didn't break their legs fearless leader!" Nora added.

"At least someone taught them a lesson." said Weiss, Blake nodding in agreement while hiding a relieved smile.

Pyrrha approached her partner smiling, "That was something. Perhaps now...they'll..." she trailed off and her smile melted away when Rios sent a cold look at her. All of them stopping immediately when they saw the same look aimed at them.

"R-Rios?" asked Ruby with a tremor in her tone.

The wolf faunus took a deep breath, "We are here to fight the evil in the world." he spoke, his voice as cold as his gaze, "But the truest evil that exists...is the _indifference_ of good people."

His words impacted them hard and they immediately realized what he was saying, guilt, shame and regret filling their features. They could have stepped in and helped their fellow classmate when she was being bullied...but they just sat there and watched, not wanting to get involved.

"Rios-" Pyrrha tried to speak, but was cut off by her partner.

"We're supposed to be training to protect those that cannot protect themselves. If we can't even step in when someone needs help, then why bother." he sent a sharper look at Blake who froze in place. Though he said nothing to her directly, the judgement in his eyes was more than enough.

Without another word, Rios turned and left the cafeteria. Leaving his team and team RWBY to think on their inactions and the weight of his words. Ren was the first to break the silence after a few moments.

"He's right." the others looked to him. "It is our job to help others. If we can't even help one of our classmates, then we're wasting our skills."

"I should have done something." Ruby said meekly, "We all should have done something. Now Rios is mad at us."

"He's not angry." said Pyrrha, her gaze at the door where her partner had left. "He was disappointed in us." saying it outloud left a dull ache in the young champion's chest. Even though she hated her fame, she was still looked upon as someone of virtue, to always do right. It was also in her nature to be kind and compassionate to others, especially those in need. Seeing Rios look at her that way...made her feel like she had failed at something for the first time.

Yang clenched her fists, feeling like scum for not stepping in to put CRDL in their place. But also hating herself as well. She used to beat up kids back at Signal for targeting Ruby, like her little sister, she hated bullies. So why did she hesitate?

Rios' words rang through her head, making her chest ache as well when she remembered the look he gave her. She thought only her dad could make her feel like this. But the faunus had just as much of an impact on her.

Lunch came to an end not too long after. The group of seven left to get ready for their next class while at the same time wondering what to say to Rios when they saw him again.

And hoping that they would get back in his good graces again.

 **X**

 **A/N: 'Jaundice' for me had left a lot of openings for not just for Jaune, but for all the other characters in the series. Training to be heroes, how could they just sit there and let someone be treated that way? That never sat right with me. I got my ass handed to me several times because I tried to help someone in trouble.**

 **It's not about heroics, it's not about getting recognition, it's about being a good person. There are a lot of evils in the world. But those who are indifferent to what's happening around them, that only allows that evil to fester like a disease...**

 **More to come. So stick around and stay healthy out there folks. We're still in this together!**


End file.
